Tortall's Newcomer
by Eveiveneg
Summary: A girl gets stuck in Tortall. Unable to return home, she begins to make friends with the Tortallans. But dark magic begins to invade the country, and she seems to be the only person who can fight it. {ON HIATUS}
1. Beginning

**Me**: (_Types away furiously at computer, muttering. Finally notices people are there)_ Oh, hi! Sorry, didn't notice you were there…

**Disclaimer**: Hey, what does that say?

**Me**: What?

**Disclaime**r: That, on the computer.

**Me**: Oh, nothing. NOTHING at all.

**Disclaimer**: "U.S. Government Central"…?

**Me**: It's not anything. I'm not trying to hack into the U.S. Government System.

**Disclaimer**: OOH…yes you are!

**Me**: No I'm not.

**Disclaimer**: Yes you are!

**Me**: Shut up.

**Disclaimer**: You can't just keep doing that you know. They're going to figure out it's you directing all those a-bombs towards Bush's house sooner or later.

**Me**: Don't you have a job?

**Disclaimer**: Do I?

**Me**: Yeah.

**Disclaimer**: I do? What is it?

**Me**: Never mind. I'll do it.

**Disclaimer**: No. Seriously. What is it?

**Me**: (_Glares at him)_ Yeah, anyway, none of the characters, places, etc., etc., belong to me. They belong to Tamora Pierce, the author of the Tortall series.

**Disclaimer**: What was that? Was I supposed to do that?

**Me**: (_Rolls eyes)_ No. You're supposed to contact the Muffin Man and threaten to stalk him.

**Disclaimer**: I am? Ok, I'll go do it.

**Me**: Right. Uh, hope you enjoy the story.

**Beginning **_by Eveiveneg_

A tall girl lounged on her bed, her dark red curls spread in a fan around her head. She stared up at the stucco ceiling, her light gray-green eyes glazed over.

"Falconer!" a raspy voice snarled. She started. "Huh?" She looked towards the door. "You're supposed to be ready for the visitors!" The gray haired woman shrieked. The fifteen year old stared at her. "Visitors, Mrs. Palmer?"

The old woman looked heavenward. "Yes, Falconer. A couple who wants to adopt a sweet, adoring child who does not always have their head in the clouds, which makes me doubt that they will pick you. But in any case, I want you ready in five minutes!" She held up her hand. "Five, got it?" The girl nodded. "Good." She left, shaking her fat behind.

Gayle sat up with a groan. She grabbed a hair clip and pulled her long hair into a bun. That done, she jumped off the bed and walked towards the window of the dorm, cast a glance around, then slipped out the paned window. She clambered down the ivy that wound its way up the side of the building and onto the ground. With that done, she set off down the street, not really caring where she went as long as it was away from the orphanage. She didn't even understand why she was there in the first place.

Whatever happened to going to relatives? She'd been told there were none left, but she distinctly remembered a pair of grandparents, as well as several uncles and aunts. She'd told the hospital that, but they said she was wrong and that she must have been hallucinating or something from the so-called 'accident'. What was it that made them deny everything that didn't go along with what they supposedly knew? She fumed.

God, they could be _so_ annoying…

She blinked. Where was she? She looked around. There was a long, winding sidewalk, benches, playgrounds, and a lot of grass. The park? How did she get there?

Whatever, she thought, shaking her head. It didn't bother her so much. She often ended up in strange places when not paying attention to her surroundings. Anyway, she liked the park. There were all those sweet little kids, and the energetic dogs playing around with their owners.

She wandered around the paths, watching kids play in the sand, kicking around balls. A soccer ball rolled towards her. "Hey!" a little boy shouted. "Over here!" Gayle smiled. She was kicked it back to he and his friends with a loud _thwack_! They gasped in awe and chased after it, giggling excitedly.

Gayle looked after them for a second, her mood lightening. She could always count on some kid or another to be so innocent and naïve. It was so sweet, but sad, too. They had no idea that terrible things were happening everywhere, everyday. Like people robbing banks, people kidnapping, even murdering each other.

She felt someone watching her. She turned to see who it was, and saw nothing. Now she was starting to get creeped out. She started to run, just to get rid of those uneasy feelings. She could run really fast, when she wanted to. Now was one of those times.

She jogged for a long time, not even looking where she was going. She ran out of breath after a while, and stopped. She looked around.

Now she was really lost. There were trees all everywhere, whereas before there had only been a few. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck prick rise and stick straight out. Someone was watching her. But who?

She cast her gaze around. No one. Suddenly she saw eyes. Not at a human's height, though. She looked down. A cat. She stared at it. It was long and lean, with shiny golden brown streaked hair.

Gayle stood there for a while, watching the cat prowl around. Suddenly, it looked up. She saw bright blue eyes, staring right back at her. The two gazed at each other for a moment. Then the cat leapt straight at her.

Taken by surprise, Gayle stared at the cat as it flew towards her. It hit her with a greater force than she would have expected from such a small animal, causing her to fall backwards with a loud thump.

The cat had dug it's claws into her, holding itself upright. It screeched at her, "What are you doing?" Well, more like meowed very loudly. But she still had understood it.

"What in the name of the Gods are you doing here?" It shrieked at her again. All Gayle could do was stare at it in bewilderment. "What?" she asked it. Maybe she hadn't actually heard the cat talking just then. Maybe, maybe it was her imagination acting up. It did happen a lot…

This probable reason for what was happening was shattered when the cat spoke again. "You aren't supposed to be here! You have to go! _NOW_!" It dug its claws in even deeper. This was when Gayle stopped staring at the cat bemusedly. Her eyes took on an angry look, flashing with pure venom. She wrapped her hand around the cat's middle and flung it off of her.

With that done, she stood up and, with a last poisonous glance at the cat lying on the ground, ran off in the other direction. She had no idea where she was, but that didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was getting away from that-that _animal _back there. There was no way it could be a cat. Cats-at least the ones she knew-didn't talk.

She burst through a thicket of thorny bushes, and suddenly she was at the edge of a lake. She skidded to a stop. What the…? She had _no_ idea where she was, that was for sure. No idea at all.

Gayle walked up to the edge of the water, looking down at it. The surface was still and mirror-like. Her reflection stared back at her. Stray scarlet hairs framed her pale face. Gray-green eyes shone in the light of the full moon. Her nose, small and sharply edged, was pink from the cold. Her father's nose. She closed her eyes. No. Don't think about that. Don't cry. You've got to be able to keep from crying. Stones don't cry. Think of stones. Stones don't have anything to do with them.

She opened her eyes again, then widened them in surprise. "What the…?" she whispered. Her reflection was gone. In its place was a scene of a large vista. A giant forest, dark and mysterious, was closest to her. In the distance was a large castle, or maybe it was a palace? Gold glinted in the moonlight off the towers, lighting the entire building up like a candle. Stars winked up in the black sky. It was…amazing.

One tower in particular caught her eye. It was by far the tallest one. She could just make out a staircase winding around the outside of it. At the very top was a large platform, uncovered and open to the night sky.

Then suddenly it was all clear and close up. She saw two men and a small woman standing near the rail. "It's hard to tell what's going on right now." One of them said. He had a very deep voice and was immensely tall, well over six feet. His long dark hair was tied back in a ponytail, showing his brown face. He wore a long, billowing robe that flapped all around in every gust of wind. "I can second that." This came from the short woman next to him. She had pulled back her flaming red hair and Gayle was amazed to see that she had purple eyes. She wore a long sleeved shirt under a tunic and breeches tucked into riding boots. "Everything is cloudy. I can't See anything at all. Much like when Aly was missing." She was saying.

The other man ran his hand through his black hair. "What's going on? Why can't anybody See anything?" he muttered to himself. His sapphire eyes were focused on something in the distance. "I don't know, Jon." The woman told him. And then in a quieter voice, "I just don't know."

The tall man closed his eyes and turned his head away. Then he opened them and was staring right at Gayle. His black eyes focused on her in amazement, like he couldn't believe she was really there. "What in the name of Mithros?" he said in a bewildered way. The woman looked up. "What is it Numair?"

Numair pointed at her, still staring. "Alanna, Numair…" Jon said tiredly. Then he turned to where they were looking. Alanna looked fierce and extremely angry. Jon gazed at her in bemusement. Numair had lost the confused look on his face and gazed at her without an expression, his eyes glazed over.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" Alanna spat venomously. Gayle just blinked. What? They could see her too? What would they do with her? "Answer me!" she practically screeched. "Alanna…" Jon said warningly. "Excuse me, young lady," he turned towards her. "What _are_ you doing here?"  
Gayle couldn't speak. She just stared at them. What was going on?

Numair suddenly strode towards her, a strange look in his eye. "Wait…" His hand was stretched out towards her. Gayle automatically took a step back. But what she hadn't realized was that she was at the very edge of the platform, and the railing was very weak and rusted behind her. The metal crumbled as soon as she touched it.

"No!" Numair yelled, making a grab for her as she stumbled back into the open air. She was falling. It was a weird sensation. Almost like going down really fast on a roller coaster. Except she wasn't. No, now she was actually falling, actually going to hit the ground and actually go _splat_! just like water balloon. Then the air was rippling. No, everything was rippling. Like…like…

Water.

Gayle started. She was back on the lakeshore. The image on the water was gone, disturbed by her feet in the water. She stared at where the picture had been. What had that been? A loud noise came from behind her.

She turned her head around. The cat, the talking cat from earlier, burst from the bushes, just as she had. It was yowling madly, racing straight for her. She tried to step back, and ended up tripping over her own feet. She stumbled backwards, towards the water. She distinctly heard a loud "_NO!_" before she landed in the lake with a splash.

-

That was kind of long, wasn't it? Checks the number. Yup. Seven pages. No. Wait, eight (Hey, that rhymed…) I apologize if it's too long for your taste. Now, would you PLEASE review? I feel like no one's reading these. And that makes me a bit paranoid. _(Looks nervously from side to side)_ that's because if you're not reading them…

Never mind. Just review, please. Damn it! I lost my cracker! (_Snarls ferociously as she jumps up on the computer in fury)_

Eveiveneg -Where is that damn goldfish!


	2. Journey

**Me**: Oyo Como Va! Sorry, I don't know what that means, but I just like to say it! It's from the Beach Boys song. Doo doo doo doo do, do doo do, doo doo doo doo do, do do. Sorry. Now…(_looks around) _Hey, where'd the Disclaimer go?

**Disclaimer**: Here I am!

**Me**: That was oddly convenient. Where were you?

**Disclaimer**: Calling the Muffin Man and threatening to stalk him, just like you said.

**Me**: Excuse me? You talked to the Muffin Man?

**Disclaimer**: Yup.

**Me**: You had a conversation with a fictitious character?

**Disclaimer**: What does fic-fic- that word mean?

**Me**: What did the, err, Muffin Man say?

**Disclaimer**: Well, he said that just because he was a redheaded slut who had an obsession with teen movies and wearing lots of make up didn't mean I could stalk him. He also said that he had caller ID and was going to call the police. You know, he had a pretty girlish and annoying voice.

**Me**: Redheaded slut with obsession for teen movies and…_(eyes go wide)_ Oh. That's not good. Did the Muffin Man say he was Lindsey Lohan?

**Disclaimer**: Yeah! He did! Funny, you know, I always thought Lindsey was a girl's name.

**Me**: This isn't good. You just called Lindsey Lohan and threatened to stalk her.

**Disclaimer**: No, it was the Muffin Man.

**Me**: Much as I hate her, I can't have her calling the police. That would put them on my tail. That won't work. We'll have to…Oops. I forgot. None of the characters in this story, except Gayle and some commoners and squires belong to me. They're all Tamora Pierce's. Enjoy the story. Oh, and also, I've changed Gayle's age from fifteen to seventeen. Just a note, in case you get confused. Now as I was saying…

**Meetings** _by Eveiveneg_

Gayle was in the water, floating. Stupid cat, she thought. How could it talk, anyway? What did it want with her? It had just gotten her all wet. Not that it bothered her, but still. It was the whole situation in general that bothered her. Since when did cats talk?

She felt a thump as she came down on the sand. She looked up at the surface and saw the moon shining on the water. In fact, it was lighting up the entire lake underneath too. It was very calm and peaceful down here, she mused. All sound was muted. Her movements were slow and silent. She liked it, much better than her new life at the orphanage, and much better than how her life with a foster family was going to be.

She was contemplating this when, suddenly, she began to slide down. It felt like slipping her hand into a vat of aloe vera. But instead of just her hand, her entire body was sliding into aloe vera. It was weird. Cold, and smooth, but mostly weird. A lot weirder than falling off that tower. There was no way that she was sinking down into sand. It just didn't feel like this, even underwater.

Gayle looked at herself, and would have gasped, but was afraid to lose air. Her hand and arms were half-submerged in some sort of black goop. Her legs, except the tops of her thighs, had entirely sunk down into the goo, and her waist was quickly following. She tried to ease her body out of it, but nothing happened. She felt panic begin to rise, making her heart beat much faster. She thrashed wildly, trying to free herself, but remained stuck.

By this point her hips were gone and her stomach was slowly disappearing into the black gunk. She tried again to get out, but nothing was working. She was sinking more and more, vanishing into the darkness of the goopy liquid. She forced calm thoughts into her head, trying to relax. It succeeded in slowing her racing heart, but only slightly.

She looked down at herself, and felt the panic start to rise again, seeing that her chest was gone too. She watched in horror as her shoulders went down. Her head was sinking too, and she desperately tried kicking her legs, thinking that she might be able to get them out. But she found that she couldn't move her legs, and worse, she couldn't even feel them any more. Soon her face was the only part above the goo. She watched with panicked eyes as her view of the surface of the lake disappeared, and she was swallowed by the gunk.

She couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She couldn't make any noise. She couldn't move. All she could do was feel the black, cold, smooth, and slimy _thing _all around her. She thought about her life so far, and was sad to find that she hadn't done anything remotely useful for anyone.

Oh sure, she'd been ok, answering questions when asked, that sort of thing. But had she actually helped anyone? No. That was the sad story of her life. The only thing that had happened to her was her parents being killed…She didn't want to think about that. Though she probably should. She was dead, or dying. She might as well. But it was still too fresh in her mind. Too painful to even try and comprehend.

She should close her eyes and die already. Or were they closed? She had no way of knowing, since it was so dark. She knew she was probably conscious, since she was thinking. Thinking about thinking and not thinking. Ow. That hurt. Thinking about thinking about thinking and not thinking. Oooh. She'd better stop doing that.

Suddenly, she could see light, just above her. It was small, and faraway, but it was something. She set off for it, swimming as fast as she could. Suddenly, she was out of the darkness, and in water again. She realized just then how much she needed air. She kept going, knowing she would drown if she didn't reach the top soon….

Gayle burst through the surface of the water, sending droplets flying around. She gasped, trying to get fresh air. When she did, she looked around. Where was she? She was floating in the water and could see no land around her. The water was a dark and threatening, as if in the still just after a storm. She realized that was probably what had just happened, if the gray clouds fleeing above her were any indication. But what was she going to do? She wondered. She was totally lost in some ocean, or a really big lake.

Well, she thought with a sigh, that did seem like something that would happen to her.

For a long time she just kind of swam there, wondering what she was going to do. She let herself float up into a laying down position, closing her eyes and taking pleasure in the warmth of the newly emerged sun. She drifted along in the gentle waves, musing about what she should do. Probably think of some way to get out of the water. Besides getting pruned, she was seriously in danger of drowning. But she couldn't keep her thoughts on that. It was so nice right now, especially after all that had happened to her…

She drifted off to sleep, content with basking in the shining sun and floating in the water.

Percy sighed miserably and gazed out the endless stretches of water. His luck had seemed to run out. He hadn't gotten a catch all day, and he was extremely hot. He knew his skin was probably burning, causing his already red skin to go even redder.

He'd hoped that after the storm, there would be a lot of fish out, and he'd be able to catch one. But no such luck. Why did he even bother fishing anyway? It sure didn't get him anywhere. It was his hobby, but all the same, he was beginning to consider taking up carving little wooden bird whistles.

His gaze skittered across the water, and abruptly stopped. He was amazed to see a person floating in the water. What in the name of Mithros? As the body drifted closer, he was able to get a better look. It was a young girl, about seventeen or eighteen. Her scarlet hair was barely kept together by a clip, and her expression was serene, half-smiling. She was wearing odd clothes, some sort of long sleeved shirt and dark breeches, made out of odd material. Despite her strange apparel, she was very striking.

Percy leaned out of the boat and picked her up out of the water. Was she alive, or was she dead? No, he thought, with a grateful sigh, she was alive. He could see her breathing easily, her chest rising and falling slightly. He dragged out a blanket from under a bench of the small fishing boat and wrapped her in it.

Satisfied, he lay her down underneath one of the benches, to be sure that she wouldn't fall back out into the water. His fishing outing had been cut short, though he wasn't disappointed. Far from it. He was happy to be going home. He started rowing back towards the distant shore of Lake Leviathan. Maybe, he thought as he glanced back at the girl, she'd been on a boat on the large lake, and the storm had wrecked the boat, or something like that. In that case, there would probably be people who would be happy to see her alive and well. Though he'd enjoy her company until the time came. He hadn't had anyone to talk to for a long time. Only on business, not just simply for the pleasure of conversing with another being.

She muttered something. He looked back. It had sounded like she'd said…No. She couldn't possibly have. There. She said it again. There was no mistaking it. He looked at her oddly. How had she known about it? Nobody else did…

He shook his head at himself. It figured that the one girl he rescued would know everything about the enemy.


	3. Meetings

**Me**: Now all we have to do to get in to her apartment is…_(notices people staring at her)_ Oh, hola again! Didn't see you there…_(shoves floor plans of Lindsey Lohan's apartment under the bed)_

**Disclaimer**: I like shiny!

**Me**: _(stares at him)_ Yeah, that's great for you.

**Disclaimer**: So what are we going to do to the Muffin Man?

**Me**: Well, the "Muffin Man" is no doubt going to go out and try to pass herself off as some sort of big movie star, which, of course, she isn't. We can use this time to go and sneak into the apartment…

**Disclaimer**: Oh, are we throwing him a surprise party? I love surprises!

**Me**: _(looks at him uneasily)_ Uh, on second thought, maybe you should just stay here. I'll probably be better on my own.

**Disclaimer**: But who's going to bring the cake?

**Me**: We're not throwing her a surprise party.

**Disclaimer**: Ahh, why not?

**Me**: Because she isn't worth my time.

**Disclaimer**: But you're going to her apartment…

**Me**: Um, I'm not exactly going to give her a cake…

**Disclaimer**: But what're you doing then?

**Me**: Uh…_(glances around nervously)_ I think someone has cookies…OVER THERE! _(points in random direction)_

**Disclaimer**: COOKIES! _(runs off in pursuit of the non-existent cookies)_

**Me**: Thank God. Oh, um, none of the characters, except Gayle, Percy, and some others are mine. Tamora Pierce created them and got them published in books and stuff, so they're hers. I think I took a couple of her lines, too. Don't remember. Now go read the story.

**Meetings **_by Eveiveneg_

Gayle's eyes fluttered open. She was in a small room, covered in thick sheets. She looked around and saw a window, two chairs next to a table, and a dresser. She sat up slowly. She was still wearing her clothes, though her sweater was gone. Her clothes were still a little damp, but not too cold.

A giant dog was on the end of the bed. It was happily panting, it's ears flopping with every move of its head. It was for the most part black, but there were a few splotches of white and tan colored fur on its head and chest. "Hey sweets." She held out a hand. The dog proceeded to cover her hand in saliva, its tail wagging crazily. She laughed. It was a sweet dog.

She got up out of the bed, careful not to disturb the dog. But instead of just laying there, it jumped off the bed and came over next to her, obviously excited to have her up and out of bed. She couldn't help smiling. She walked over to the window, and gasped in awe at the view. A vast lake disappeared into the distance, many different tints of blue and green swirling around each other in the water. The beginning of a white and sandy shore lay about thirty yards from the window. The sky was an amazing cerulean, blending nicely with the lake at the horizon.She absently rubbed the dog's neck. It was amazing, just awe-inspiring.

"Ah." A gravelly voice said behind her. "You're awake." Gayle spun around in surprise. A tall man stood there, smiling kindly at her. His white hair fell down just to the bottom of his ears in chaotic curls. He watched her with his eyebrows arched high over his blue eyes. They were the exact same color as the ocean, just as dark and deep and mysterious. "I'm glad to see you've gotten up on your feet." He continued, his amusement at her confusion evident.

"Um, excuse me, sir?" she was extremely bewildered. "Oh, did I forget to introduce myself?" He came over to her, his hand extended. "I'm Percy Miller, fisherman here at Lake Leviathan." She grabbed his hand and shook it firmly. "I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Miller." He shook his head. "No, no. Just Percy. I've never been one for formalties." He looked at her expectantly. "What's your name then, miss?"

She smiled. "Gayle Falconer, at your service." She paused. "Percy." He grinned in delight. She looked back at the lake. "It's called Leviathan?" she asked curiously. "Yes," he said with raised eyebrows. "I would expect you'd know that, seeing as you were floating around unconscious in the middle of it." She turned back to him abruptly. "What? I was out in there?" Then she realized what must have happened. "Oh," she said quietly. "Thank you for saving me, Percy."

"Not a problem Gayle." He said easily. "I'm glad to help. Though," he added thoughtfully. "I would like to know how you got out there in the first place." She looked back out at the water, her eyes cloudy. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She stated. "Try me."

She turned to him. He was completely serious. She sighed, and told him. How she had been running away from a cat that had threatened her. How she'd seen the tower. How she'd fallen in the water. How she'd sunk into the puddle of black goo at the bottom of the lake. How she'd ended up lost in the middle of Lake Leviathan. When she finished, she watched him. He seemed to be lost in thought. "I can understand if you think I've lost my mind." She told him quietly.

He looked at her. "No, lass." He said with a sigh. "I believe you. Why would you make it up? No, you're telling the truth." She smiled in gratitude. At least someone believed her. "Well," she said uncomfortably. "Where exactly is Lake Leviathan?" He smiled. "In Tortall, to the north." She blinked. Tortall? Where in the world was that?

"I can see that you're confused." He stated. "How ever did you guess?" she said dryly. He ignored it. "To tell you the truth, lassie, I don't think it's anywhere near where you're from." She shook her head. "I wouldn't have thought so, considering the fact I've never heard of Tortall, and for the most part I know where every city, country, continent, and place is in relation to my home."

He stared at her. "A bit sarcastic, aren't we?" he asked, amused. "No," she said without laughing. "I'm being entirely serious when I say this." Percy was suppressing laughter. "I can see that you're a handful already, and I've only known you about ten minutes."

"Yes," she sighed. "My parents said I have a gift for making people want to hurt me for commenting on the weather." He raised his eyebrows. "Said?" She looked away. "My parents died three weeks ago." He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss. May they forever rest in peace." She nodded, though inside, she silently disagreed. Her parents, and she herself would never rest until she discovered who'd killed them. She knew some one had trapped her parents in that fire. She knew it, despite what everyone else had said. And she'd get revenge on whoever did it.

-

Kaelin of Eaton's Spire wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He was really hot. Not just warm. Burning. He didn't know how long he'd be able to take it. All he knew was that he was desperate for shade. Put it out of your mind Kaelin, he told himself sternly. At least you're not wearing armor. It's just a couple layers of clothes.

He looked over at Alan. His friend was lucky. He'd gotten Raoul of Golden Lake and Malorie's Peak as his Knight-Master. Not that he didn't like Sir Neal, of course. He was great, just a bit touched in the head. Though he didn't like it when you told him that, he did anyway. Lady Kel said it was true and he greatly respected her.

He glanced over at her. She was talking to Sergeant Dom. She laughed at something he'd said. Seeing the look on the sergeant's face, he grinned. It was obvious that Dom liked her as more than just a friend. He knew that Kel felt the same way about him, but hadn't realized that Dom was in love with her. It was kind of funny. Kaelin had decided to wait and see how long it would take for them to realize. About four years so far, maybe more, since they'd known each other a lot longer than that.

Dom looked back at him. Kaelin raised his eyebrows and looked at Kel. The sergeant glared at him. Ignoring this, he trotted up next to them. "Lovely day, isn't it? I'm glad I came on this little trip." He said conversationally. "It's not as if you had a choice, since Neal was coming." Kel pointed out. He sniffed and held his head high. "I prefer to think that milord and I are on equal terms, instead of that of a squire and Knight." Kel tried to suppress a laugh, but failed.

"You, Kaelin," she said when she'd stopped chuckling. "Are very like Neal." He sighed mournfully. "He influences me terribly. It's such a shame. I am forever ruined for the rest of Tortall." Dom laughed. "It seems to me that you were ruined before you became his squire."

Kaelin gasped in mock indignation. "How dare you sergeant! I shun thee!" He turned back to Kel. "My darling Lady Kel," he said, ignoring the glare he received for using her title. "How on earth can you possibly be friends with such a hideous excuse for a member of the Third Company? Are you so hopelessly infatuated with him that you can't see him for what he truly is?"

He could see Dom flushing a bright red. "Sergeant," he said in a worried way. "Do you have a sunburn? Your face is the color of a beet. You should really see to that once we reach our destination." He stopped, then added thoughtfully. "Though it does go so well with the color of your eyes." He dodged the swipe the officer took at him. "Hmph!" he declared. "I am unappreciated." His head held high, he went over to Alan, who had watched the entire spectacle with a badly hidden smile.

"He's just so exasperating, you can't help but love him." Kel commented. Dom smiled ruefully. "Too true. Just like the Meathead." He grinned at Kel. "You know," Kel said thoughtfully. "At times he can be just like you, too." Dom put a hand on his chest. "Surely I'm not that stubborn and annoying?" She shrugged. "Sometimes." She told him with a wicked grin. "But I'm talking about his charm, and how he enjoys flirting with just about every lady he sees." Dom raised his eyebrows. "Oh, charming, am I?" She just smiled. "At times."

Alan looked at them and chuckled. "You torture those two far too much." Kaelin shrugged. "It's fun. What else am I supposed to do?" Alan rolled his eyes. "I don't know, maybe talk to your knight-master?" He stared at his friend. "You jest with me. Your knight-master, unlike mine, is easy going and enjoys joking around. Mine doesn't let me sleep until I can successfully perform a sick check. Free time,until now, has simply been a figment of my imagination."

Alan raised a golden eyebrow. "Not enjoying your lessons in healing, I'm guessing?" Kaelin sighed in exasperation. "I do like learning how to heal. It's going to help somebody in need someday. But as you seem to have forgotten," He pointed to his head. "Good Sir Neal is touched in the head."

"I heard that." They turned. Neal was watching them both with a slightly amused expression. "Forgive me, dear Knight-Master. I meant nothing by it." The knight snorted. Kaelin gave him a pained expression. "You wound me." He heard a choking noise, and knew it was Alan, trying not to laugh.

"Come here, ungrateful squire." Neal gestured towards him. "You will suffer for your insults." Sighing resignedly, Kaelin turned his horse and did as he was bid.

"Neal, Kel, Dom, Numair, Flyn." Raoul called. They came over, Alan, Kaelin, and Kel's servant Tobe following. "We have a small errand to make. Qasim will be in charge until we come back." He gestured, and started off.

"Where do we have to go?" Alan asked his friend. "How should I know?" He answered. "I can't read minds."

After about a half hour of riding, they came to a small house, next to the large Lake Leviathan. It was a picturesque scene, with leaves blowing gently about in the light breeze, and flowers in full bloom. The still water made it seem all the more peaceful.

On the porch of the house a boy lounged against one of the poles holding up the small roof above him. He wore dark gray breeches and riding boots up to the knee.A chestnut brown leather jerkinwas fastened overa light green shirt. A hat was pulled firmly over his head, covering his hair.

When they stopped and dismounted, Flyn immediately went into action. "You, boy!" He opened one eye. "Boy?" He asked casually. His voice was low and clear, like the Queen Thayet's, Kaelin mused. "Yes, boy." Flyn said. "We are from the Third Company of the King's Own." The boy clapped. "Congratulations. I'll be sure to send a card." Flyn glared at him. "Is Percy Miller here?"

He raised a crimson eyebrow. "Percy Miller?" Flyn was losing patience. "Yes, Percy Miller. Do you repeat everything anyone says?" He smirked. "Not hardly." The boy said. "If I did, no one would know what I had to say."

"Well, you could have fooled me." Flyn was really mad. "Is he here or not?" The boy eyed him. "Perhaps, perhaps not." Kaelin couldn't help but smile. This boy had barely even talked to Flyn and had already aggravated him. "Answer my question!" the man burst out angrily.

"Tut, tut, tut." The young man waggled a finger. "You won't get any answers that way." He turned his gaze from Flyn to the rest of the group. "May I inquire why you lovely lads wish to see Mr. Miller?" As his gaze met Kaelin's, he could see that he had interesting gray-green colored eyes.

"We have personal business with Mr. Miller." Raoul interjected. "Could you tell us if he's here, and if not, when he will be back?" The boy smiled. "How can I denyan answer to you when asked in such a well-mannered way?" His gaze flickered back to Flyn and he grinned at him. Turning back to Raoul, he told him, "Percy's in town. I'm sorry to say I don't know when he'll be returning. You'll have to run into town to catch him. Or, if you so wish, you can wait for him here."

As the rest of the group started to discuss their choices, Kaelin inspected the boy. He was wearing an amused expression, obviously entertained by Flyn's antics. He was crossing his arms over his chest, at ease. His long legs were stretched out in front of him, one crossed over the other.

Suddenly the boy noticed his gaze and raised his eyebrows. Kaelin grinned and nodded towards Flyn, who was currently discussing with the rest about what to do. He saw a corner of the boy's mouth twitch. He stared at him for a moment, then turned to the view of the lake. Kaelin did the same. It was really amazing. All sorts of blues were in the water and sky. Clouds dusted the sky. He could see why Percy Miller would live here. It was truly beautiful.

"All right." Raoul's voice startled him from his thoughts. "We'll stay and wait for him here." The boy stood up. He was pretty tall, nearly six feet. "Would you like to come inside?" he asked. Everyone swarmed up towards the door, eager to get out of the hot sun. Kaelin fell behind, wanting to talk to the young man. As Numair went in, he cast a strange look in the boy's direction, furrowing his brow in thought.

"One moment, please." He told them all. He turned outside and gave an ear-piercing whistle. Everyone clapped their hands over their ears. In the distance, a large shape appeared. "Is that a bear?" Kaelin asked, curious. "It's certainly large enough to be one." The boy smiled ruefully. "No, it's not. But I'm pretty sure that she has some bear blood in her. She's too large for it to be otherwise."

The shape was fast moving, and soon he could see that it was a dog. A very large dog, but a dog nonetheless. "Goddess above." He murmured. "What?" Alan poked his head out. "Wow. Are you sure that's a dog? It looks more like a small ox." The boy had jumped off the porch and was checking all the horses, making sure their ropes were secure.

At the looks on Kaelin and Alan's faces, he said, "To make sure they don't break free. Elle can do that to animals, horses and rodents alike." At that exact moment, the giant bear-dog collided full force into the young man. "Woah, careful Elle! You almost knocked me down." He kneeled down and rubbed the dog's ears. Then he started whispering to her, something that sounded like instructions.

"Realms of the Gods." A hoarse voice whispered. He looked up. Numair was standing behind them, staring at the dog. "Is that a dog?" Alan nodded numbly. "So we're told." The boy looked up. At the sight ofthe three,staring at the dog, he grinned wryly. "Rather large, isn't she?" They all just kept staring. "Elle, go introduce yourself." He urged her. At this, the dog came galloping towards them. Kaelin hurriedly backed into the room, eager to get away from the eminent crash. Alan managed to get out of the way, but Numair was not so lucky.

Elle crashed into him, knocking him over. She proceeded covering him in big, messy dog kisses. Everyone in the room burst out laughing. "Oh, Mithros," Raoul wiped a tear from his eye. "This is too funny." He managed to say before collapsing into laughter again.

Kaelin looked outside. The young man was looking at something in the distance. Then he grinned. "Percy! Good to see you're back alive!" He couldn't hear the reply, but it caused the man to grin even wider. "You've got some admirers to see you! Come grace them with your presence. I'm surethey'll just die of awe and wonder."

"I think our great Mr. Miller has arrived." Kaelin announced. Everyone tried to stop laughing, and succeeded, barely. An old man was riding down the road, conversing loudly with the young man. When he dismounted, the man greeted him and walked alongside him, an arm flung across his shoulders.

"They're positively darling." He told Percy. "Especially that one with the curly red-brown hair." The old man raised his eyebrows. "What did you do?" He grinned in response, saying only, "Why, greeted him cheerfully and wished him good health." Kaelin snorted. They looked towards him. "I see that the young man objects with you." Percy commented dryly. His friend shrugged. "Everyone sees things in a different light." The old man shook his white curls. "Had I known this was how you behaved, I might not have pulled you out." The man laughed. "Perhaps."

"Ah," Percy stepped into the house. Raoul smiled and stood up, gripping his hand in a friendly hello. "It's good to see you again Percy." He smiled. "Likewise, Raoul, likewise."

"Friends, it's good to see you all again." He smiled at everyone around him. "You've met my guest." He indicated the young man leaning casually against the door. "Indeed." Flyn muttered. Kaelin grinned. He knew he was going to like Percy's friend.

"Sir Raoul of Golden Lake and Malorie's Peak, may I introduce my young friend, Miss Gayle Falconer." She grinned cheerfully. "Nice to finally meet the famed Knight Commander." Raoulraised his eyebrows. "Miss?" he questioned. "Oh, yes." She said breezily.

A girl? Kaelin looked at her again. Yes, it was a girl. Now that he looked, he could see her curves more clearly. "What did you do to make them think you were a boy, Gayle?" he heard Percy whisper to her. "Nothing at all." She said easily. "I think my dressing in breeches threw them off. You know how it is." He smiled at her ruefully. "I suppose so."

"Gayle, let me introduce you to the rest of my dear friends." He gestured to each person. "Numair Salmalin, mage to his majesty King Jonathon. Captain Flyndan Whiteford. Sergeant Domitan of Masobelle. Sir Nealan of Queenscove. Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan." They each nodded to her in turn, inspecting her curiously.

Percy turned to the last three. "Alan of Pirate's Swoop, squire to Sir Raoul." Kaelin saw her raise her eyebrows and look at him in interest. She'd obviously heard the stories about his mother, the Lioness, and his twin sister, Alianne, who was currently serving as the Copper Isles Spymaster.

"Kaelin of Eaton's Spire, squire to Sir Nealan." He grinned at her mischievously. A corner of her mouth twitched. "And Tobe Boon, Lady Keladry's servant." He bowed respectfully.

"Well," he stated, satisfied. "Now that introductions are over, I believe that we have some talking to do." Flyn interrupted. "Not with them in the room." He looked pointedly at the three boys and girl. Percy sighed. "Gayle, would you kindly take these young men and leave the room? Outside or in, your choice." She looked out the window. "Outside, I think." He nodded. "All right then." She waltzed over to the door and opened it, beckoning. Alan and Tobe filed out. As Kaelin passed, he saw Percy and Gayle exchange a glance. Herface was carefullydevoid of expressionand his was questioning. He raised his eyebrows and went out. Gayle stepped out and closed the door.

She sighed. "Well," he said companionably. She looked at him. "A girl, are we?" He grinned. "You don't seem to perturbed by the fact Captain Flyndan, as well as everybody else, thought you were a boy."

She shrugged. It wasn't a big deal, after all. She just was amused by how easily they'd been fooled. She smiled to herself. If she could trick knights and soldiers, she could probably trick others too. Though there was always the possibility they might just be incredibly stupid. She considered this a moment, then shook her head slightly. She'd seen the intelligence in their eyes.

Thinking this, she jumped off the porch. "What're you doing?" The blonde, blue-eyed one asked. Tobe. That was his name. He was a bit younger than her, maybe sixteen. "Converting oxygen into carbon dioxide." She replied. He looked annoyed. "You know what I mean." She cocked her head. "Do I? Maybe." She bent down and got on her knees. "If you want to come, hurry along." She crawled underneath the porch.

"What-" A head appeared. "What in the name of the Goddess are you doing down there?" It was the other blonde boy, the Lioness's son. His green-hazel eyes were confused. "What do you think?" she asked cheerfully. "I don't know. Playing with worms?" She beckoned. "Follow me if you want to know." Seeing his apprehensive expression, she added casually, "Unless you don't feel you're allowed. Though I wouldn't let that stop me." He still looked a little unsure.

"I'm not sure we should go down there…" That was the dark haired boy, Kaelin. The one with the nice smile. "Too scary for your taste? I'm sorry to hear that…" she said mockingly. She saw feet come down on the ground and a few seconds later Kaelin's face appeared. "I'm coming." He was scowling at her. She smiled sweetly at him. "So glad you've decided to join the party. Anyone else?" Alan crawled under with them.

"Tobe?" She called. "Any interest?" He snorted. "No thanks. I'm staying out here with the horses." She heard him mutter, "They're more sane than you."

She shrugged. "All right. Whatever floats your boat." She turned her attention to the wood foundation of the house. She crawled along until she spotted a darker plank of wood. She felt for an indentation, found it, then pulled. It slid to the side. She could see Kaelin raising his eyebrows. She shrugged again.

"In we go." She gestured for them to go in. Alan went first, looking curious. Kaelin came next, searching her face for a moment with his analyzing dark brown eyes before entering. Last, Gayle went in feet first. She dropped down a couple feet and landed in a pile of soft rags. She couldn't help but grin when she saw the glares from Alan and Kaelin, lying flat on their backs.

"Oops." She was grinning broadly. "Did I forget to tell you that there was a drop? Silly me." She distinctly heard Kaelin mutter just what he thought about cocky young ladies. She raised her eyebrows. He looked about a year older than her. Who was he to call her young?

She stood up quickly and reached to pull the wood plank back into place. She couldn't get it. She frowned and stood up on her toes. Still couldn't reach it. "Here," a voice said. "Let me." A large hand stretched up and slid it firmly shut. "Thanks Kaelin." She smiled her gratitude. For a second she stood there, looking at his handsome face, then shook her head and stepped off the large pile of rags. She felt her foot sink into the soft dirt.

"Come on." She called to the other two. "We have to hurry or we'll miss something." She felt along the walls and found an empty space. Stepping into it gently, she found there were stairs there. Up she went, wanting to go faster, but knowing she had to wait for the other two.

"What exactly are we doing?" huffed Alan. "You'll see." She said slyly. Her hand ran across something wooden. She stopped, causing the two young men to nearly collide with her.

"What is it?" Kaelin demanded. She looked back at him. "A door, Eaton." She said amusedly. Seeing their faces, she laughed. "I'll go in first this time." She turned the handle and stepped in.

She beckoned them inside. They entered and she closed the door. She put a finger in front of her lips then pointed down. They sat and voices became clear beneath them.

"That's…fascinating Percy. Can we start talking, please? We can't leave Third Company by themselves for too long. They often start to play around…" Flyndan was saying. The two boys looked at each other in awe, then at Gayle. She was smiling crookedly.

Now that there was a pause in the voices, she knocked quietly on the floor. "What was that?" Kel asked. "Hm? Nothing. Now," They heard footsteps and the groaning of someone sitting down in a chair. "What is it you want to know?"

-

Sorry. I ended with another cliffhanger. This one was pretty long, too. Sorry for that. Hope you enjoyed! And don't forget to review!

-Eveiveneg


	4. Talks

**Me**: _(Is dressed in black, tying hair back carefully. Once again doesn't realize people are there for several minutes)_ Doody, doody, doo. Howdy Doody looked for his shoe. _(Sees people and stares at them, then composes self again and pretends to be cheerful)_ Como Estas! I'm here just getting ready for an excursion to…You know? Never mind. I didn't say anything. At all.

**Disclaimer**: COOKIES!

**Me**: You've been running around looking for those cookies for the past thirty-six hours. Are you pretending to be stupid, or are you really?

**Disclaimer**: Come out, come out wherever you are!

**Me**: That answers my question.

**Disclaimer**: I am not!

**Me**: _(looks suspiciously innocent)_ Hmm? What aren't you?

**Disclaimer**: I'm not…_(Pauses and looks thoughtful. Key phrase: looks) _What was I saying?

**Me**: _(Sighs)_ Nothing.

**Disclaimer**: Are you-

**Me**: Yes.

**Disclaimer**: _(Goes blank for a second. Then…)_ COOKIES! _(Goes off in pursuit of cookies again, forgetting that they don't exist)_

**Me**: I love my power over the stupid. _(Turns to readers) _As you should know by now, none of these characters are mine, nor will they ever be. Oh, just a note: Kaelin is pronounced like Kaylin. I don't know how else you would pronounce it, but you never know. In any case, on with the story!

**Talks **_by Eveiveneg_

"As of late, we've been having trouble." That was Raoul. "Villages, sometimes towns, being attacked. Homes set on fire, buildings turned to rubble. The first time it happened, the Riders went out to see what happened and search for who had done. Nothing. Not a trace of the attackers was found. It's kept on for the past few months. None of the villagers knew what had happened, not even the ones on watch."

Gayle curled her legs up beneath her, Indian style. Kaelin and Alan were listening intently to what was being said. Though fascinated, they were confused by the descriptions of the raids. No, not even raids. Nothing was taken, according to Raoul, Flyndan, and Dom.

Numair started talking. "When any of the mages, including Alanna and myself, try to scry for some idea of what happened, all we get are cloudy images. Alanna said it reminded her of when her daughter Aly was missing five years ago." Gayle felt Alan shift uneasily. She could guess what that had been like for him, not to know where his sister was.

"Third Company went to check it out, along with Kel and Neal." Dom was saying. "It was terrible. The village was in ruins. Many of the people had been killed. When we asked the villagers what had happened, they said they had no idea. They hadn't seen a soul." She heard a sigh.

A small silence came. Suddenly Kel said, "No. Wait, I remember a talking to a little girl. She said she'd seen something."

"Really? What?" Percy asked. "She'd woken up in the middle of the night. Just as she was about to fall asleep again, she heard a noise. She got up to look out the window, and saw a tall, dark figure. It seemed to be made of shadows, just as silent and fast moving as one." Kel was speaking slowly and softly, as though she was trying to remember.

Gayle furrowed her brow. That sounded like…No. It couldn't be. Or could it?

"When the figure turned, she said it had eyes like fire, burning just as fiercely and with out mercy. She ran back to bed and hid under the covers when it disappeared." Kel sounded thoughtful.

The talks continued in this fashion, with descriptions of the attacks and lack of sight capability. But Gayle barely took it in. All she could think about were Kel's words. A creature of shadow with eyes of flame…

After a while, the two young men looked at her, impatient to go. She nodded her understanding and stood up slowly, lost in her thoughts. She led them down the stairs and into the small room beneath the house. Alan strode over to the pile of rags, slid open the plank of wood, and pulled himself through.

Kaelin quickly went after him, obviously glad to be getting out. Gayle followed, but at a slower pace. She didn't even notice when she nearly tripped. She simply righted herself and continued. She slowed to a stop. Maybe, just maybe… Reaching up, she grabbed the edges of the small space and pulled herself up and out.

She crawled out from under the porch and jumped up onto it. Without a single glance or word to the others, she sat down and immersed herself in her thoughts.

Kaelin and Alan were quietly discussing what had just happened. "That was…odd." Alan remarked. Kaelin nodded. "Strangest thing I've ever heard. Attacks on villages with no trace of who did it…" He shook his head. "None of it makes sense." He looked around.

Tobe had gone off to graze the horses. He could see him patting them contentedly. He looked over to his left at Gayle. The tall girl was staring off into nothing, her eyes glazed over and a small frown playing across her face. "Hey." He snapped his fingers in front of her face. She started and looked over at him. "You awake?" He asked with raised eyebrows. She rolled eyes. "What do you think, Eaton? I'm answering you." He shrugged. "Just checking." She twisted her red lips to the side, annoyed. "Yeah, yeah."

She paused for a moment, looking thoughtful. "Hey," she said. "What's with the Sergeant and Lady Keladry?" Alan looked at her oddly. "What about them?" She smiled slightly. "A blind guy could see that they're crazy about each other." Kaelin pretended to not understand. "Oh? How so?"

"I heard how Domitan's voice went all soft when he started talking about her." Gayle leaned back. "Even before then, I saw them glancing at each other when they thought nobody was looking." She looked back at them. "It's kind of sweet, actually. Sad, but sweet. Has anybody tried to get them together?" Kaelin raised his eyebrows. "No, why?" There was a mischievous glint in her eye. "Oh, no reason." Her voice was too innocent. "What do you plan to do to them?" He was really curious about it.

She looked at him, surprise all over her face. "Nothing. Why ever would you think I was going to do something to them?" He rolled his eyes. He could tell she was lying. "On second thought, I don't think I want to know." She smiled. "I didn't think so."

They all went silent, thinking. Watching Gayle out of the corner of his eye, Kaelin wondered what she was thinking about. Her face had been sad and serious before. Now she was smiling to herself, an evil light in her eye. Probably Dom and Kel, he thought. Only someone with something like that on their mind would have such a wicked grin on their face.

Tobe came back later, the horses trailing after him. Gayle watched him, a curious expression on her face. She wondered if any others, besides the Wild Mage, whom Percy had told her about, had wild magic. She was fascinated by it. She would have loved to be able to communicate with animals, wild and docile. If she could, the orphanage wouldn't have been so lonely. There had been plenty of birds flying around outside the windows. A couple of dogs lived there with the adults who stayed there. It also would have helped when her parents had gone away for a couple of days. They'd left her by herself, knowing she could take care of herself.

That might have been true, but she hadn't had many friends. For some reason, people had avoided her. She didn't know why. Every time she'd tried to talk to someone, they would politely answer, then hurry away. It had always bothered her. There wasn't much she could do about it now, though. Now that she was stuck here in Tortall. Where was that, anyway? Was she just dreaming? Or was this real? She didn't think it was her imagination. She'd been here a couple weeks, talking with Percy and helping him out. He'd filled her in on Tortall, who was in charge, who was famous, what they could do. He'd said that maybe Numair could get her back, since he was such a powerful mage. But she wasn't so sure she wanted to go back. She liked it here, a lot better than her home. The only thing that had really kept her there was her parents, and now they were gone…

Numair's voice rose inside. She couldn't make out what exactly he said, but she heard his angry tone. He'd gotten her worried. She knew he was the same Numair from her tower vision. What if he recognized her? What would he do? Would he do anything? She drummed her fingers on the wood.

She shook her head. These thoughts were too serious for now. Her thoughts drifted back to the sergeant and the Lady Knight. She felt a grin forming on her lips. They obviously wanted each other, but couldn't tell the other. She was just going to have to help bring them together. The sergeant Domitan was handsome, blue-eyed and dark-haired, always laughing. Lady Keladry was tall and muscular, with serious hazel eyes and short, light-brown hair. She was too serious and Domitan was too easy-going. They'd make a good couple.

She lay down and, with a small grunt, lifted herself upside down. Kaelin raised his cocked an eyebrow in a silent question. "Helps me think." She said easily, smiling. She started walking along the length of the porch, consumed with plans for the knight and sergeant. The three boys watched her, Tobe rolling his eyes at her, Alan confused, and Kaelin amused.

Meeting their eyes, she asked, "You are aware staring is rude, aren't you?" Tobe sighed in exasperation and turned back to the horses. "Is it? I had no idea." Kaelin said dryly. She strolled over to him and stared at him. "You are impudent, squire. I will stand for no insolence." With that she thumped him on the head with one of her feet. "Hey!" He grabbed for her foot. She stepped nimbly out of reach. "I don't think so." He stood up, a grim grin on his face. "I guess I'll have to teach you a lesson in manners." He started towards her.

She grinned. "Catch me if you can!" She started running, using her hands to propel herself forwards. Kaelin chased after her. Alan and Tobe collapsed into laughter, watching Gayle outrun Kaelin on her hands. Soon, attracted by the squire and servant's guffaws, the group came outside.

"Is she doing what I think she is?" Asked Neal, watching Gayle with a confused look. The two couldn't answer, they were laughing so hard. Dom grinned. "She's got a lot of upper body strength. She can hold herself up on her arms and run around." Raoul was leaning against the doorframe, trying unsuccessfully to suppress his laughter. Percy was smiling. "She's a handful, that lass."

Gayle was taunting Kaelin. "Can't catch me, Eaton? Come on, my grandmother is faster than that, and she's paralyzed from the waist down!" He was slowing down, weighted down by his sword and weapons. Gayle was about two hundred yards ahead of him. "Ah, come on!" She called. "It was just getting fun!" He glared at her. She sighed. "So much for some exercise." She muttered.

She turned back to the house, and was surprised to see everyone outside. Most of them had red faces, trying to with hold their giggles. She smiled and waltzed over. "How long have you been watching?" She asked, a rueful expression on her face. "Long enough to appreciate the scene." Kel managed before collapsing back into laughter. Percy was shaking his head. She pouted prettily. "I was provoked." She pointed over to Kaelin, bent over and trying to catch his breath, with a foot. "Were you?" Percy asked, eyebrows raised. "It seems to be the other way around."

"Well," She admitted. "It might have been." Kaelin was stalking over towards her, an annoyed expression on his face. "Oh, good, you're back for more?" Gayle asked excitedly. He stared at her for a moment, then walked back on the porch. He sat down with a plop and moaned. "Ouch. I hurt." He looked at them mournful expression. Alan seemed to have recovered slightly. "Oh," he said, putting a hand on Kaelin's shoulder. "That was really funny. Please, no more."

"I have to say," Kaelin said with a grin. "Miss Falconer is quite fast. I shudder to think how much quicker she is on her feet." She smiled mischievously. Kaelin felt his heart skip a beat, but ignored it. She strolled up and flipped herself onto the porch. "I feel so privileged to have successfully caused such a famed group of people to laugh." She said conversationally. She grinned at them. "Talks over?" She asked. Raoul nodded, still chuckling.

"Good. I always feel so unloved when excluded from a conversation." She looked sad for a moment, then her smile came back. As the others began to talk amongst themselves, she slid over to Percy. "You heard?" He asked quietly. She nodded almost imperceptibly. "Up until when the sergeant was describing the attack on the fourth of January." She answered, almost inaudible. "All right. We've decided something. We're going to-"

Raoul, coming to talk to him, interrupted him. "Nice one, Gayle. Kaelin really deserved it." He was wiping tears from his eyes. Standing stock still, she swung a hand up to her head in a salute. "Glad to help out in anyway I can, SIR!" He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it. Don't call me sir. It's just Raoul." She grinned. "All right. I won't do it again." She paused. "_Sir_ Raoul." She saw him grin back before she walked off.

"So," someone said conversationally. She turned and found laughing blue eyes watching her. "Someone who's finally put Meathead the Second in his place." She raised her eyebrows. "The second?First being?" He smiled and nodded towards Sir Nealan. "Ah." She looked at the knight a moment, then added. "It fits, sergeant." He shook his head. "No, no. Only my men call me that. My friends call me Dom." She stared at him. "But I'm not your friend." He grinned. "Anyone who successfully torments Meathead II is a friend of mine."

She pouted. "I didn't torment him. Just gave him a bit of exercise." She paused, watching Kaelin. "Though I can see now it was well-needed. Exactly was does Sir Nealan do with him?" Dom rolled his eyes. "Pretty much makes him heal anyone with the slightest bit of a cough." She looked thoughtful. "Hmm. I guess I'll have to exercise him more then." The sergeant grinned. "You have my blessing." She curtsied with an invisible skirt. "Why, thank you, dearest, darling Domitan. I'm ever so grateful to those who condone my cause." He laughed. "Our Court jester has arrived." Lady Knight Keladry came over to them.

Gayle put on an excited face. "Really? When can I start?" The knight smiled. "It seems you have some competition, Dom." Gayle grinned mischievously. "I do love competition." Dom looked frightened. "No, no. You win. I don't want to end up like Kaelin." She snapped her fingers in disappointment. "So Lady Knight Keladry-" The knight put up her hands. "Please. I dislike formal tittles. Just Kel would do fine." Gayle sighed mournfully. "Darn." She said sorrowfully. "I was really looking forward to using such a long title every time I addressed you." The two grinned. "Anyway," She hesitated. "Go on." Kel encouraged. "I want to hear."

Gayle started up again. "Well, since you're so eager to find out-" A large force barreled into her. "Ow." She said, dazed. Elle had run into her, excited to be outside. "That was unexpected." Dom and Kel grabbed her and pulled her back on her feet. Their hands accidentally touched and they both blushed.

Gayle smiled, a corner of her mouth coming up. Seeing her watching them, Kel hastily said, "Listen, I got to go. See you later Gayle." She just watched her, then turned to the sergeant, eyebrows raised. "What?" Dom asked, still a bit red. "Nothing. Nothing at all." She answered, her grin going wider and wickeder. "I'll talk to you later, Sarge." She saluted him and waltzed off the porch.

Oh, the joys of unrequited love, she thought. I can't wait to try something out on them. She suddenly felt someone watching her. She turned and saw the mage Numair looking at her intently. He was frowning, as if trying to remember something. It unnerved her, so she slipped around the house, wanting to be alone.

She watched the lake, her eyes sad. Since her parents had been killed, she'd wanted revenge. Now she was here. She wanted to stay here, but if she did, she'd never find out who had killed her parents. And even if she did manage to get to earth and find the murderer, could she even come back here? And if she stayed here, how would she survive? Percy was great, but she couldn't live off his hospitality forever. What would she do for a living?

She signed unhappily. She didn't like to think about serious things, but she had to right now. How in the world would she figure out what to do otherwise? Leaning against the house walls, she played with a strand of her hair that had escaped her hat. Percy had mentioned the Queen's Riders. She was the right age. Maybe she could join them. She'd always wanted to be some kind of warrior. She smiled slightly at the thought. At six years of age she'd pestered her parents into giving her lessons in archery, hand-to-hand combat, and fencing. She'd greatly enjoyed them, until that night…

A shout startled her from this gloomy train of thought. Someone seemed to be giving orders. She walked over towards the sound, curious. She saw everyone going down towards the horses, mounting them or waiting next to them. She went over to Percy, eyebrows raised. "We're heading off with them to Corus. Go pack your things." She shook her head in defeat and went to do as she was told. As she packed her clothes into a bag, she contemplated her choices. The Riders would be accepting trainees soon. She'd have to stay in Corus, if she wanted to join. Sighing, she slung the bag over her shoulder and went back outside.

Most of the group had mounted up, ready to go. Percy had his own horse, Fire Dancer, saddled and ready. She watched them with an amused expression. Raoul called out to her. "Why aren't you up?" She smiled slightly. "As Percy seems to have forgotten, I haven't got a horse to mount up on." She drawled. "That's all right." Kel said. "You can ride Peachblossom. He'll behave." She looked at the giant horse beside her. "Won't you?" The roan gave her a resigned expression.

Gayle strolled over. "Rather large, isn't he?" She commented dryly. Peachblossom eyed her distrustfully. "If he doesn't like me, I'll just die from disappointment." She put her hand over her heart. Patting him, she stepped into the stirrup and swung herself onto the saddle. She'd learned how to ride at her grandfather's ranch before he'd died a couple years ago. She knew how to deal with ornery horses such as Peachblossom.

They set off, Gayle following at a trot. She felt more content on a horse. It reminded her of how her grandfather had taught her. "Don't be afraid to show them whose boss." She remembered him saying one day, long ago. "If you show any signs of doubt, they'll just act even more stubborn." Peachblossom didn't seem too bad, considering the other horses she'd dealt with.

She lapsed into a half daydream, thinking back on all those times she'd met an ornery pony or horse. She stared off unseeingly at the lake, smiling slightly. Suddenly, light flashed against the surface and an image appeared.

_A young woman stood in the ruins of a building, inspecting it. She was dressed in breeches, a shirt, and leather jerkin; a piece of cloth wrapped around one bicep. A circle with a red ring around it decorated the cloth. _

_Suddenly, a shadow appeared. The girl looked up and a half spider half human thing came down. "Ah," it said in a raspy voice. "It seems we have a guest." Pulling out her bow, the woman shot the thing, only to have more arrive. She shot and killed each one, trying desperately to keep the creatures at bay. A strand of yellow green web wrapped around her leg. She screamed and dropped the bow. The spidrens descended on her…_

Gayle blinked. The picture was gone. What had that been? She wondered. She rubbed her eyes. Was she seeing things?

She felt something pull on her head. Suddenly, her hat came flying off and her hair cascaded down. She looked around and saw Kaelin riding next to her, grinning happily and clutching her hat. "Looking for this?" He asked innocently. She stared at him for a second, then started to smile. "Um, Gayle?" Dom had seen the events unfold. "You've got a scary look in your eye."

"Do I?" She asked him, still watching Kaelin unblinkingly. Kaelin was starting to look uncomfortable. With good reason, of course. It wasn't everyday a girl looked at you with a murderous gleam in her eyes. She hadn't done anything to him yet, of course, but looking at her told Kaelin she was going to do something, something really unpleasant. She smiled at him sweetly, then mouthed, "I'll be talking to you later."

He looked at her uneasily. She'd turned to talk to Dom, braiding her hair as she spoke. It was very beautiful hair. Long and scarlet, it curled in just the right places, tumbling all the way down her back. He shook his head. If he kept thinking like that, who knew what would happen.

Gayle caught his look and grinned again, obviously impatient to get to him later on. Her gaze shifted to the right. Numair was staring at her again, but this time with recognition. His eyes were wide and surprised, his mouth slightly agape. She swore softly, fingering her long red hair. She should have dyed it, or something. She hadn't wanted anybody to recognize her. But then again, she hadn't suspected that she would ever meet him again. She'd just thought the vision was her imagination.

Who had those other people been? She couldn't remember their names, just Numair's. But she did remember the other man's black hair, and the woman's purple eyes. You just didn't see that color everyday.

"Hey." She blinked. Turning back to Dom, she saw he was watching her with an eyebrow crooked. "What?" She asked, confused. "You listening? Or are you to involved in your evil thoughts for my dear cousin's squire?" She shook her head and sighed. "No. But thanks for reminding me." She could see out of the corner of her eye that Kaelin was still eyeing her uneasily. Her mouth curled into a smile.

"Anyway," She looked back at Dom. "I've been meaning to ask something." His mind was obviously on other things, if his expression was any indication. In fact, he must have been thinking about Kel. "Yes? What?" He questioned, taking a drink from his water canteen. "Are you courting anybody?" He spit the water out, drenching his horse's neck. "Easy there," She said, patting him on the back. "Don't kill yourself."

"W-What?" He stuttered, staring at her. "Once again, are you courting anyone?" He glanced at Kel quickly before answering. "No. Why?" Gayle smiled to herself. "Just asking." He still looked a bit disoriented.

"I've got to go ask Kel something." She announced after a pause. "See you around." She surveyed him, then added, "You should probably clean yourself up before seeing to your men. They'll probably ask about it, and of course, that'll be just too embarrassing, won't it?" His face seemed to pale. "What do you mean?" He asked quietly. She just grinned at him. "You know what I'm talking about. Toodles." She rode off, leaving the sergeant white-faced and out of breath.

They finally reached the Third Company, after much tormenting and harassing on Gayle's part. The Company had stopped to set up camp, and was currently lounging around, bored. When he saw Raoul riding towards them, Qasim smiled and greeted them. "How did your errand go?" He asked. "Quite well, actually." The Knight Commander said happily. "We talked things out, and decided that it would be best if our friend came with us. Qasim, may I introduce my friend, Percy Miller?" Percy rode forward, bowing from his perch. "I'm honored to meet you, Qasim." He said gallantly.

Gayle smiled as she watched them. Percy could handle others well. But of course, he'd had practice. Her face darkened. She hadn't. Seventeen years and barely anybody had said a word to her.

"And who is this young man?" She looked up. The dark-faced man was looking at her as he inquired this. She suppressed a grin. Riding forward, she stopped a few feet in front of him. Bowing from the waist, she said, "Gayle Falconer, at your service." She grinned at him. He seemed to have gone a bit red. "I am sorry, Miss Falconer." She smiled at him, and shook her head. "It's alright. You're not the only one to have mistaken me for a man." She heard everyone shift uncomfortably behind her. She dismounted and held out her hand. The older man took it, saying, "Welcome to the Third Company, Gayle."

-

This was a pretty boring chapter. Sorry, and stuff. I'll try and make the next one a bit more interesting.

Eveiveneg


	5. Discovery

**Disclaimer**: Hi everybody! I'm here today, yay! _(Does victory dance)_ Anyway, the scary lady with the knife isn't here right now. She said she had to _(screws up face in concentration)_ take care of Lindsey Lohan? Anyway, she isn't here right now. So I get to keep you all to myself! YAY! _(Guy with head set comes up and whispers something in his ear)_ What? I don't get to play with them? NO FAIR! WAHHHH! _(Runs off, crying)_

**Headset Dude (HD)**: Er, hi. Eveiveneg says to tell you that she is unavailable at the moment, and desperately hopes that you will forgive her for the interruption. She also told me to say that none of the characters in this story are hers, except Gayle, Percy, Kaelin, etc., etc. She says that if you don't know it by now, you don't deserve to read this story. Uh, I think that's all. Enjoy the story. _(Edges off stage as the disclaimer runs by again, screaming)_

**Disclaimer**: I WANT TO PLAY WITH THE READER PEOPLE!

**HD**: What are we going to do with him?

**Other Guy**: How should I know?

**HD**: I don't know. I was just wondering if you had any ideas. But I guess you don't since you're such an _idiot_! _(Put emphasis on the word idiot)_

**Other Guy (OG)**: Oh, now you've done it. Come on. (Pounds chest) Bring it on, girl!

**HD**: Nobody's supposed to know that I had a sex change!

**OG**: Well, you're not so smooth as you thought!

**HD**: AHHHHH! (Tackles OG)

**OG**: You ! Get off of me!

**HD**: _(Punches him wildly)_

**Disclaimer**: I WANT TO PLAY! WAHHHHH!

**Discovery** _by Eveiveneg_

"What do you mean by that Corporal?"

"Too funny!"

"And so I said…"

Gayle listened to the babble of the Third Company. She was interested by it and wanted to see if she could find out any…interesting things. In case the time ever arose that she would need any information. Not that she thought it would, but you never knew.

A group of men were sitting around a small fire, laughing and talking to each other. Since she'd set her tent up, to the amazement of the knights who'd accompanied her, she decided she'd see what they were conversing about. "Wolset, you maniac, give that back!" A short man had stolen one of the others foods, holding it out of reach. "Not till you admit that you're courting Lady Greta!" He teased. Gayle joined in the rest of the soldier's laughter. Hearing an unfamiliar chuckle, the men turned to look at her. "Greetings." She said cheerfully.

"Who are you, young man?" One man, asked. His brown eyes were searching as he surveyed her. She shook her head. "What is it about me that makes everybody assume I'm male?" She complained. "Do I really look that bad?" The one who'd addressed her blinked. "Yup." She told the astonished group. "I'm a girl." She grinned at them. "Close those mouths. I can see every bit of mashed up food. It's not exactly nice to see. Or do you want all the lovely ladies to see how well you grind food up with your teeth?"

A laugh sounded behind her. Turning to see whom it was, she smiled. Dom strode up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Nice to see you're getting along with the boys." He commented. "Men, meet Gayle Falconer. She's Percy Miller's friend, and has joined us on our journey back to Corus." She waved her fingers at them. They all stumbled to their feet and tried to bow, but only ended up tangling themselves in each other's feet. She laughed. "No, no. Don't do that. I'm just a girl, same as you find in any other place."

Her eyes alighted on the food. "Hey," She asked. "Anyone want to help feed a girl?" All of them scrambled up to offer her their food. She laughed and sat down. Through out the meal she laughed at the other men's stories, being serious when needed.

One story in particular caught her attention. "We got word from a rider group a few hours ago." This was the man who'd spoken to her earlier, Lerant. "The commander of the Queen's Dogs was attacked this morning, while you were visiting your friend." All movement and other talk stopped. "What happened?" Dom asked him. "She was checking out one of the latest raid victims, you know, the unsolved ones." They all nodded. "Well, she was looking around, by herself, when a group of spidrens attacked her. She only survived because the others heard her screaming." Gayle was shocked. That was what she'd seen in that image. She looked at her hands. What did this mean?

"The commander had been searching for traces of a girl that was missing. Apparently she'd been taken during the attack, since she'd been there the night before." All of them frowned, and descended into silence. Gayle felt uncomfortable. She didn't ever like serious silences like this. A young man sat down on the ground with them.

"Hey meathead!" She greeted. The dark-haired boy raised an eyebrow. "Meathead? Isn't that my Knight-master's name?" Kaelin asked. "What?" She asked, all innocence. "Do you not like it?" He rolled his eyes. "Fine." She said, shrugging. "I won't call you that." Kaelin looked pleased.

"Good."

"You can be Blossom the Mule instead."

He stared at her. "Excuse me?" She looked at him. "What's the matter Blossom? Are you upset? Whatever for?" The men around the fire burst out laughing. Dom looked thoughtful. "Blossom? I like it. Hey Blossom, can you pass the fruit?" Kaelin looked less than pleased at his new nickname. Gayle smiled sweetly at him, then turned back to her food.

When she finished, she casually stood up and walked up behind the squire. Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he turned around and looked at her questioningly. "I need to talk to you." She said in a low voice. He shook his head and stood up. She led him away from the fire, away from the men until their voices were only soft murmurs.

She turned to look at him, and was startled to find how close he was. She found that she was only up to his chin, and had to tilt her head up to look at him. In the light of the setting sun, his eyes were almost black, and his dark hair was swept back from his tanned face, letting her see every small detail, from the crow's feet at his eyes to the laugh lines in the corners of his mouth. She took an involuntary step backwards to get some room.

She looked down, trying to compose herself. His nearness had thrown her off balance, and she had to be convincing when she did this. "Well?" He demanded. "What is it?" She didn't answer. Kaelin threw up his hands in defeat, and started to stalk off, annoyed at her silence.

"Wait." She caught his hand. As soon as she touched him, sparks shot up his arm. He was intensely aware of her hand on his as he turned back to look at her. As soon as he had done so, he knocked her hand off and crossed his arms, trying to hide the fact that his heart had sped up from a steady beat to a fast, staggering pace when she'd stopped him. "Yes?" He asked. She took a deep breath, then met his gaze.

"I..." She started. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. It wasn't right of me to have hit you, even in jest. It was even worse of me to have then led you off on a chase, taunting you. I realize that you only stole my hat to get back at me. So…sorry."

He blinked. This wasn't what he'd expected to hear. He'd thought she was going to carry out her threat of harm from earlier, not apologize to him.

"Really?" He asked, skeptical. "Really." She told him. She held out one of her hands. "Forgive me?" She looked up into his eyes, sincerely appearing to be sorry. He smiled. "Sure." He put his hand in hers.

He really should have suspected she was up to something. It was just so obvious. But he'd been completely off guard. So it was no surprise that he'd been startled when she tightened her grip and tossed him over her hip. He'd sailed through the air, shocked, then landed on the ground, hard. He let out a moan when he could actually feel again, which, to tell the truth, he hadn't for a second. Where in the world had she learned a move like that? It was a Yamani flip, something Sir Neal had taught him.

He looked back at her, still trying to comprehend what she'd just done. She was dusting her hands off. "Never believe a girl who goes all dewy like that." She called to him. "They're obviously lying." With that she put her hands in her pockets and strolled back to the camp, whistling cheerfully.

Gayle was pleased at how her plan had gone. He hadn't even suspected her to flip him after that little apology of hers. She grinned happily. All she'd had to do was look up at him with a puppy face and he'd fallen for it. She had a feeling that she and Kaelin were going to have an extremely enjoyable time together.

OOOOOOOOOO

_She was running. She had to get away from the thing; it would kill her if it caught her. She could hear it behind her, breathing hard. But she knew. She knew no matter what that it would follow her until the end. _

_Her breath was coming in hard, gasping, coughs. She was slowing down. No, no, she couldn't stop. That would mean certain death. Her muscles were sore and tired. She'd overused them. _

_An unseen root tripped her. She tumbled to the ground. A black shadow was standing above her, unmoving. Then it leapt down toward her. She lifted her hands in front of her face and screamed…_

Gayle sat up, sweat pouring down her back. Her breath was ragged, as if she'd just run far without stopping. Her hair hung in her face, mussed from her tossing and turning.

She eventually regained her breath. What had that been about? That-that thing that had been chasing the person in her dream. It had been the shadow creature. The one she'd seen in the fire that had killed her parents. The one the Lady Knight had talked about. She put her head in her hands. What was it?

Fifteen minutes later she stepped out of her tent, boots pulled on over the breeches she wore to sleep. She'd braided her scarlethair and wound it around her head, to keep it out of her face.

She glanced around the camp, then walked quietly towards the woods. She needed a quiet place to think and do her morning exercises. She wanted to clear her mind of the dream she'd had. All it was going to do was cause trouble; she knew it. She'd wandered into the forest; deep enough to be free of the sounds of the camp, but close enough she wouldn't lose her way trying to get back.

She was about to sit down to start the first stretch, when a foul stench hit her. She covered her nose. It was terrible. Where was it coming from?

She followed the smell, both curious and afraid to find out what it was. There was only one time she'd smelled something even remotely like this…

She stepped through two trees and gasped. She stared in horror with her hand over her mouth, then ran.

OOOOOOOOOO

Kaelin stepped out of his tent, refreshed. He'd gotten a good night's sleep, despite Gayle throwing him flat on his back. He scowled at the memory. He'd made the mistake to tell Dom, who hadn't been able to stop laughing. A few of the other men had heard it too. He knew that by now the entire Third Company would know.

He frowned, then looked around. Usually there were few people up by now. But now most of the squads were up and awake, running around. What was going on? He wondered.

He headed off to where most of the people were. The woods. He followed people running into the trees then running back out again. After about half a mile, he could see the large figure of Lord Raoul, as well as the Lady Knight. He approached them quietly, then saw what they were staring at so intently.

He inhaled sharply. Though he'd seen many gruesome things in his life, this had to be high on his list. Blood was spattered everywhere, on the trees, in the grass, everywhere. A cadaver lay on the ground under a large oak tree, half rotting. It was split wide open in several places. Its face had been mutilated entirely, making it impossible to tell the gender. A long cut severed the body from the left shoulder to the right hip. The person's intestines had been pulled out and strewn all around the area.

"What happened?" He asked in a quiet voice. He was horrified by the scene before him. "Gayle got up early and went out to exercise." Neal told him. He hadn't even realized he was there. "She walked out into the woods and found this. She ran back to the camp and woke Kel. After Gayle told her what happened, she went and got Raoul, Flyndan, and pretty much everyone else."

Kaelin looked over to his right. Gayle was sitting under a tree nearby, her head in her hands. She was wearing dark brown breeches and a white shirt with the sleeves torn off. She pulled on some boots over her breeches; he supposed that she hadn't wanted to bother with getting dressed.

He walked over and crouched down next to her. She looked up and half-smiled. "I guessed you'd be here sooner or later." He put a hand on her bare shoulder. "I'm sorry that you had to be the one to find this." He told her quietly. Her smile disappeared. "Thanks." She replied softly.

He sat next to her the entire time the area was inspected. When the Riders arrived, a few of them turned several interesting shades of green.

"Well," Raoul announced after discussing for several minutes with the commanders of the Rider groups. "I think we found our missing girl." Gayle clenched her hands. She wasn't surprised. The village that had been attacked wasn't too far away, only three or four miles.

Soon it was decided that the Third Company would continue on to the capital while the Rider groups would stay here and deal with the murder. That afternoon the Company was off, Gayle riding a new horse that had been found for her by Dom.

She was quiet for the next few days. Nobody considered this so unusual. After all, she'd found the mutilated carcass of some poor young girl.

But Kaelin didn't think it was just that. He'd known her about three days and he could tell that something else was wrong. She was being quiet and unsocial; that just wasn't like her.

He rode up to her one day a week after they'd left for Corus. "Hey." He said. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Hey." She answered quietly. He got right to the point. "Gayle, you haven't been acting like yourself. What's wrong?" She looked at him. "I found the ripped up corpse of a sixteen year old. Doesn't that tell you?" She didn't seem to be able to take her gaze off the back of the horse's head.

He waved it off. "No. That's not why you've been acting like this. You could have dealt with this, after a day or two. It's been a week. There's something else on your mind. What is it?" She smiled slightly. "Nine days since you've met me and already you can figure out what I'm thinking?" She asked. He didn't relent. She sighed.

"All right. There is something else." She paused for a moment. "Did Percy ever tell you?" She asked. "Tell me what?" Her eyes were dark and haunted. "About two months ago my parents were killed in a fire." He stared at her, waiting for her to continue. "I was asleep in bed when it happened. I woke up in the middle of the night and smelled something. I went to investigate, and when I came down the stairs I saw the flames. I wanted to go and get my parents, but they were blocking the door to my parents' room."

Her gaze was focused on something in the distance. "Some man, I don't remember who, dragged me out. He told me that at least my parents were asleep when it had happened." She shook her head. "They didn't know, though. My parents never went to bed very early. They were awake. I heard them screaming when I was pulled out. I could smell the smoke, and everything. They were pleading, to whom, I don't know, but they were begging for someone not to do something. I remember what they said. 'No! Please, anything but that! Just leave her alone! She didn't do anything! Leave her alone!'"

Her eyes were watering slightly. "When they found their bodies the next morning, I went up to see them, when they weren't watching me. I could smell them, burnt raw. It was just like when they had cooked meat, or anything else. But it wasn't dinner roasting that I smelled. It was my parents' flesh."

A single tear fell and splashed onto the saddle. "That smell, it was like the one in the forest. Meat, but insteadit was uncooked and left out for a few days too many.And there was that other smell, the blood." She took a shuddering breath and closed her eyes. "I-I'm sorry." She said with a soft and raspy voice.

She was trying to get her emotions back under control. It wasn't often that she cried, but it was her parents' death, after all. Telling him had been like reliving the entire thing. But she hadn't told him about that shadow. She hadn't been able to figure it out on her own yet and still needed time to think.

Something warm and soft touched her cheek. She opened her eyes, startled. Kaelin was wiping away her tears with a gentle finger. "Hey," He told her softly. "Don't cry. It wasn't your fault." She opened her mouth to protest and he put a hand over her mouth. "No." He said firmly. "No matter how much you disagree, it wasn't your fault. There wasn't anything you could have done about it. You said yourself that the fire was already in front of their door by the time you got down there. What would you have done? Run through the flames to get them?" He shook his head. "No. It wouldn't have done anything except kill you. They wouldn't have wanted that. The thing to remember is that you're still alive."

She looked at him withsad and desperateeyes. "And why is that good? What has that done for me?" He held his head up. "You met me, obviously." She chuckled slightly. "Yeah, and everyone who meets you suddenly has a better life, right?" He sniffed delicately. "Of course." She laughed outright. "I take offense at that!" He said indignantly. "Somehow, I think that's the point." She told him. She patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Thanks Blossom." He scowled. "What's wrong with Kaelin?" He asked the clouds. "Am I to be cursed with friends whose greatest joy in the world is to torture me?"

"Yes." She answered solemnly.

He glared at her then shook his head in disgust and trotted off. She grinned happily. Her mood had lightened considerably now that she had harassed Kaelin. He was someone she could depend on in the future, should she need it.

Up ahead, Kaelin was thinking over the conversation. He'd never suspected something so, so _tragic_ in her past. The way she acted, you would have thought everything was perfect in her little world. But it wasn't. Gods, that poor girl. She hadn't deserved anything like that.

"So how's it going, lover boy?" He looked up and scowled at Dom. He didn't seem to be able to get the grin off his face. "Lover boy? Are you implying what I think you are?" He questioned. "Indeed, I am." Kaelin rolled his eyes. "Please. I am hardly in love with that demon from hell sent to torture me until the ends of time." The sergeant raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

He snorted. "You're one to talk." Kaelin noted with satisfaction that he'd gone a pale, but definite shade of red. "I'm not in love with anyone." He rolled his eyes again. "I beg to differ, Domitan." He looked pointedly at the lady knight's back. Dom's face went a degree redder.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way," Kaelin began. "What exactly are we supposed to do when we arrive in Corus?" Dom, who was still a bit flushed, answered. "Well, for the moment, nothing. Raoul's going to give Alan some more lessons." Kaelin winced. He'd seen some what the men of the Own had dubbed 'flying lessons'. It wasn't a pleasant sight. "That poor boy." He said sympathetically. "What did he do to deserve that?"

"Picking him for a knight-master in the first place." Kel had come up behind them. "I remember my own lessons with milord, every painful second." She rubbed her arms. "It was like being rammed over and over again by an elephant." She shuddered. They all laughed. It was good to get such heavy thoughts, if only for the moment, such as the ones Gayle had told him of, off his mind.

OOOOOOO

Hmm. This story was a bit better. Sorry about the gruesome imagery. I was thinking about Jack the Ripper. I did a report on him last year and saw some pictures of the murders. It was a lot like that. So if you didn't like it, don't ever, ever do look up anything that has to do with Jack the Ripper.

I was thinking about doing some sort of truth or dare scene in one of the chapters. I can't decide though. Let me know if you have an opinion.

Eveiveneg


	6. White Fire

_(Chaos ensues. HD and OG are beating each other to bloody pulps. The Disclaimer is running around, screaming like a maniac. Because they're bored, other random people have begun to partake in fights. It's quite loud and noisy. Like when a herd of crazed stampeding llamas is coming towards you. Has that ever happened to you? 'Cause it happened to my little brother once. Then suddenly the door bursts open, revealing a tall girl with red-brown hair and an extremely self-congratulatory smile. Upon seeing the room, her face starts to turn an extremely odd color of red, pink, and purple. Nobody has noticed her, yet…)_

**Me**: WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?

**THE FOLLOWING SCENE IS FAR TOO BLOODY AND GRUESOME FOR VIEWERS TO SEE. UNTIL IT IS OVER, WE SHALL SHOW YOU CLIPS FROM JERRY SPRINGER, WHICH IS FAR LESS VIOLENT THAN THIS.**

_(Clips from the show are shown, which readers gasp at and applaud for. Don't ask why, that's just how I feel like making it.)_

_(Suddenly the room reappears. The walls are covered in a strange red substance and screams of pain are heard from around the room. Many llamas are wandering around. The girl steps forward, smiling)_

**Me**: Hallo all! Nice to see you. I'm sorry wasn't able to be here last time, but there were certain…things that I had to take care of. I left it to the Disclaimer to take care of things. That was a terrible mistake on my part, and I profusely apologize. I took care of it though.

_(A screech is heard from off screen. She takes a knife out and throws it in the direction of the scream. A gurgle is heard, then everything goes quiet)_

**Me**: Here we go again with the disclaimer thing. I do not own, nor will I ever, the Tamora Pierce characters. Please, enjoy the story.

_(Another scream is heard and the girl takes a chain saw with red liquid on the sharp edges. She pulls the little string and it starts whirring. She whistles and a llama races over to her and she mounts it. She nudges it with her feet and it gallops off)_

**White Fire**_by Eveiveneg_

_She was tossing and turning, speaking to things that weren't there. A hand shook her gently. "Sweetling. Sweetling, wake up." Her eyes fluttered open. A tall woman with warm brown eyes stood beside her bed. "Mommy?" _

"_Yes, it's mommy." The woman crooned. "Did you have a bad dream?" The girl nodded. "Was it the same one?" She nodded again. The woman sighed. "Try to get some sleep. I know it's hard, but you need it, after that fever you had."_

"_But if I go to sleep, the black monster will get me." The little girl protested. "I want to stay up with you, mommy." The woman stroked her hair. "I know, I know." She murmured. "How about this? I'll stay here with you, and the black monster won't come near you. He never dares to go near a little girl when her mother is near, and especially when she has her special charm."_

"_Charm?" _

"_Yes. It dispels bad things from the area, no matter what they are. It keeps you safe when you sleep." She pulled a small ring off her finger. It seemed to be woven out of amber and gold. She placed it on the girl's finger. "Thank you mommy." She whispered. "You're welcome sweetling. Now try to get some rest."_

Gayle opened her eyes. Her face felt wet. Touching her cheeks, she found the tracks of tears. She sat up and pulled her legs up. She rested her head on the tops of her knees.

Ever since she'd joined the Third Company on their way to Corus, she'd been having dreams. Every single night. Every one of them had been some memory of her parents. That last one had been of one night when she was six. At that time, she'd been having nightmares. She couldn't remember what they'd been about, but she remembered having them. It had been, what, the seventh night she'd had them? She wasn't sure. Her mother, wanting her to settle down, had given her that ring.

Gayle smiled slightly. She still had that ring. Soon after that night, she'd taken a chain and put the ring on it. Though the nightmares had stopped, she'd never stopped wearing the necklace. At night, when she'd had trouble sleeping, the ring had eased her mind and allowed her to fall back asleep. When the fire had killed her parents, it had brought her comfort.

She sighed. Sitting here moping around wouldn't do her any good. She crawled to the flap of the tent and peeked out. It was an hour or two before dawn. She sighed again. She might as well get dressed now. She wouldn't be able to sleep. She quickly changed and stepped out of the tent.

She absently rubbed the ring under her shirt. Where should she go to stretch? She couldn't do it in the tent. She'd tried that once and she'd nearly caused the tent to implode on her.

She wandered along the lane of tents, doing her best to stay quiet. It was entirely silent. Well, not really. She could hear herself breathe, and if she listened hard enough, she could hear her heart beating. But that was all she heard.

Surveying the camp quickly, she spotted a place. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. She quickly walked over and sat down. She stretched out her long legs on either side of her and reached her hands out to rest on her toes. She sighed happily at the feeling of her muscles being pulled taut. It always refreshed her, to stretch. At times she wondered if she could still feel, since thoughts of her parents usually made her go numb. But this was a way to escape from that; it was a way for her to remind herself she was still capable of feeling.

She bent back until her hands touched the ground, leaving her legs still spread apart and her upper body in an arch. She contemplated her dreams. Why was she having dreams about her parents? Was that normal? She guessed so. Who would want to forget their parents entirely? Not her.

She slowly lifted her body off the ground, keeping her legs parallel to the ground. She missed her parents dearly. She remembered the day she'd gotten a dog from them. At first she'd been worried that she wouldn't get along with her mother's cat, George. But that had soon passed. He and the dog, Gremlin, had gotten along splendidly. She smiled slightly at the memory. Then her face fell as she remembered that both pets had died in the fire as well.

She raised her left leg straight up, then her right. She heard a bird cheep. She smiled. At least she wasn't the only one awake. Delicately putting all her weight on her left hand, she lifted her other arm. What if they hadn't died? What if they'd, somehow, survived the fire? She'd probably be awake right now, doing these same stretches. But instead of being alone, her mother would be with her. She'd always said that getting out of shape was not something to even consider. Gayle took her words to heart.

She curled her legs down towards her head. Her father, after an hour or so, would come out and see them. He'd shake his head, muttering something about insane women waking him up at ungodly hours of the morning.

She lowered torso onto the ground, placing her feet just in front of her face. She and her mother would just laugh and join him for breakfast. After that, if it were the weekend, her father would fence against her. It was always hard to tell if she would win or her father would. She'd go on to practice archery and hand-to-hand combat. Later in the day she'd read, her mother sneaking up on her once or twice and surprising her. They'd run around, giggling, until her father found them. He'd shake his head at them again and go on doing whatever he'd been doing before being interrupted.

She heard a rustling, and frowned. It sounded like somebody was walking towards her. Not wanting to be found, she untangled herself from her position and climbed up onto a branch and was hidden by the leaves.

She watched below her, then smiled as the lady knight walked into the clearing. She was holding a long wooden staff topped by about a foot and a half of curved metal. Gayle dropped down behind her, then went crossed eyed as the sharp tip of metal stopped right in front of her nose, inches from slicing her face.

"Gayle!" Kel sounded surprised. She was still watching the metal in front of her. "Whoa. That was pretty close." She commented. "You scared me out of my wits!"

"So you're crazy right now?"

Kel sighed and pulled the weapon away. "I nearly cut off your nose." She said. "I hadn't noticed." Gayle responded. "What is that thing?" Kel looked at the long wooden weapon. "It's a Yamani naginata. It's also known as a glaive." She tilted her head. "Naginata? Weird name." Kel shook her head. "What were you doing out here?" The knight asked.

"Stretching." She was fascinated by the glaive. It was a beautiful weapon. She would like to try it…

"Stretching? This far away from camp?" She nodded absently. "If I tried to do it in my tent, it would collapse on me." Kel smiled. "I know what that's like." She smiled in return.

"Well, I'd better get back to stretching, or I'll get out of shape. That's not going to do me any good." Kel nodded. Gayle went over to where she'd been sitting moments before and lay down, lifting her feet over her head and onto the ground in front of her. It took her a few moments to notice that the knight was staring at her.

"What is it about this contortion that you find so intriguing?" Kel started. "You're-You're-"

"Flexible?" Gayle suggested. "Yeah, I am." Kel was still staring at her. "Do you want to try?" Kel cheeks flushed a dull red. She nodded slowly. "You know," she said. "I never thought I'd see the day where you blushed. It's not bad, not knowing how to do something." Kel still seemed embarrassed.

"Come here and I'll show you how to start."

For the next hour Gayle showed the lady knight how to do the stretches. Kel was trying to do them, but not succeeding. "You do realize that you have to take things slowly, right?" She asked after getting her into a split. She thought the knight's face might burst; it was so red from keeping cries of pain in. "You have to work up to doing what I did." Kel shook her head. "I'll never be able to do that."

Gayle snorted. "Nonsense. You'll do just fine. For more than ten years you've been working on building up your muscle, not your flexibility. It only makes sense that it would be hard." Kel sighed. She patted her consolingly on the shoulder. "Let's try that leg stretch."

Gayle sat down and contorted her body into the position she'd first been doing when Kel came.

"What in the world?" She looked up. A tall, dark haired boy and strawberry blond boy were watching her disconcertedly. "Blossom!" She cried. "How nice to see you!"

Kaelin ignored the comment. "What are you doing?" He asked. She grinned wickedly at Kel, and then answered, "Teaching our famed lady knight how to contort her body." Alan raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

"Indeed." She replied. "Why?" Alan seemed curious. "Because she asked." Kaelin grinned at the woman trying to do splits on the grassy ground. "Did she? There was never a thing that Kel didn't try to do."

"Is there a specific reason you came over here?" Gayle asked. Kaelin looked surprised, then answered, "Actually, yes. We came out to practice." He gestured to the swords in their hands. She looked at them interestedly. "Swords?" He rolled his eyes. "No. Sausages."

She looked up excitedly. "Sausages? Where?" She looked around with a hungry light in her eye. He stared at her. "What? I like sausages." Alan laughed. Kel did too; despite the fact her lower body had gone numb from holding the same position for so long.

"So you're going to play around with swords…" Gayle looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't think I want to stick around for that." Seeing the look Kel gave her, she answered, "I'd rather not be sliced into bits, if that's alright." She stood up on her feet, head still upside down. Slowly unbending her legs, she drew herself up until she stood straight.

As he watched, Kaelin couldn't help think how graceful she was. Her long legs accentuated all her movements. As she uncurled herself from the strange position, his gaze went up her body, taking in her slim, curved waist, which was being shown off so nicely by the sash she'd wrapped around her hips…

He suddenly realized he was staring, and turned away from her, hoping she hadn't noticed. She hadn't. "Well," She said when she finally stood straight. "I'd best be off." She was about to stroll off when somebody coughed. She turned back. Kel looked incredibly uncomfortable and she made some very definite gestures, obviously telling her to help her up. "You won't get anywhere with my help. Get up yourself. But on the other hand, you should stay here and keep that position until they're done. And," She added with a mischievous grin. "It'll give you practice in stretching with distractions."

She turned around, laughing when she heard the lady knight's decidedly rude comment.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gayle threw down the tinder in frustration. She'd been assigned the task of setting the fire for the camp that night. She'd placed rocks in a circle to keep the flames from getting out and she'd piled a small stack of wood in the middle. The problem was that she couldn't get the damn fire lit.

She drummed her fingers on her knees, angry at the fire for not getting lit and angry with herself for not being able to set it. Why couldn't she do it? Was she just that incompetent? Probably, she thought with a sigh. Insane, too. That much was obvious. She stared gloomily at the pile of wood. She wished she could just light the fire without having to use anything. It would just be so much easier.

Suddenly, a small white flame sparked and began to burn. It slowly changed to a normal color as it grew, but it was a bit paler than it would have been normally. Gayle stared at it. What had just happened? Had she…Was that…Did she…

"Gayle!" She started. "What?" She called back. "Is the fire lit?" She stared at the flames a second longer, then shouted back, "Yeah! Hurry before I decide to put it out."

Even with all the soldiers of the Third Company there, all Gayle could think about the rest of the night was that small white flame and what it meant.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Sorry, sorry. This chapter, except for the first one, is the shortest one I've written. Don't hurt me, don't, please. (Puts hands up to protect self) I swear, the next one will be a better. Though I can't promise it'll be any longer. This one just plain sucked. I needed some sort of intro for her… Sorry, almost said something there. Though if you haven't figured it out yet, you're just plain dumb. Sorry, but it's true. DON'T HURT ME! (Screams as crazed monkeys jump on her. Don't ask where they came from. You just don't want to know)

Eveiveneg


	7. Encounter

**Me**: (Sitting on a llama, humming happily to self. Realizes people are staring at her, then greets readers) Holar! I am a Spanish pirate. See my outfit? (Gestures to clothes. A silk, puffy-sleeved shirt and big Spanish skirt. Underneath you can see black breeches and boots. A rose is in her hair and a sword is at her hip) I'm happy right now! (Listens for a second) Why? Because, Cookie, (Pats the llama) I finally took care of the Disclaimer, OG, and HD.

**Disclaimer**: Who are you talking to?

**Me**: What are you doing here?

**Disclaimer**: I was hiding over there. (Points to a corner)

**Me**: That doesn't answer my question.

**Disclaimer**: Kwesteeon?

**Me**: You're an idiot.

**Disclaimer**: _(Blinks)_

**Me**: _(Sighs)_ I don't know why I bother.

**Disclaimer**: Boother?

**Me**: Bother.

**Disclaimer**: Boother.

**Me**: You're a numbskull, moron, Neanderthal, and imbecile.

**Disclaimer**: Overload. Overload. Do not know what you are saying…

**Me**: Why did I ever hire you? You can't even pronounce, let alone understand, the words I'd have you use in the disclaimers.

**Disclaimer**: _(Pauses for a second, then)_ I WANT A MUFFIN! _(Runs off in pursuit of muffin)_

**Me**: Right. All right, most of the characters, except the obvious, are mine.

**Random Guy (RG)**: You're on! **(Switches on spotlight and shines it on her)**

**Me**: _(Pupils dilate)_ LIGHT! NOT THE LIGHT!

**Other Random Guy**: _(Shakes head)_ You shouldn't have done that.

**RG**: Why not?

**Me**: WHO THE HELL TURNED ON THAT LIGHT!

**ORG**: That's why.

**RG**: Uh oh.

**Me**: Charge! Charge, Cookie, charge! _(Gallops toward RG on llama)_

**Encounter **_by Eveiveneg_

Gayle was lying on the bed in her temporary room at the palace in Corus, the capital of Tortall.

Her arrival in Corus had been uneventful. They'd ridden through the market as she looked on in interest. There had been all sorts of things on sale that never would have been there back in her world. Pearls, finely woven silk robes, and so on. All too soon they'd left, off to the palace.

Gayle had watched uneasily as they approached. She'd recognized the palace as the one from her… what would you call it? Vision, she supposed. But she hadn't needed to worry. Raoul and Numair had been summoned to see the King immediately. Everyone else wandered off to do other things.

Percy had gone to his rooms, which he stayed at when he came to the palace. He'd told her a while ago that he was a spy for the kingdom of Tortall, and she knew he came often. She'd told him while on their way to the city that she wanted to join the Riders. He'd smiled sadly and told her he'd miss her company, adding that if she ever changed her mind she was welcome to stay with him.

For the moment, though, she was staying in one of the rooms in his suite.

She rolled over and sighed. She was incredibly bored. Percy was at some private meeting with the Spymaster of Tortall, and had left her here on her own.

She sat up and rolled off the bed. She couldn't just lie here all day. She'd die of boredom. She'd explore the palace, since there was nothing better to do.

She left Percy's rooms, heading in a random direction. After at least an hour of wandering, she suddenly found herself in a courtyard. At one end was a tall, tall tower. There was a door that led inside. A staircase wound around the outside of the tower all the way to the top. She looked in the door and saw another staircase, going up in the opposite direction.

Something about the structure touched something in her memory, but she couldn't remember what it was. Thinking for a moment, she turned to the outer staircase. It looked dangerous and daunting; just looking at it made chills go down her spine. It excited her. She had always liked to take a risk…

Gayle started to climb up the long, winding staircase. Each step was designed to look like flower petals and leaves. It was extremely delicate and interesting. She was a bit disappointed so far. Sure, there were a few rusted spots, but it wasn't that bad. Sometimes entire steps were rusted over, and she had to hop over them to get past. Every once in a while, not often enough for her taste, of course, there were three or more steps rusted over. Then she got to jump far over them, the stairs shaking to her satisfaction. It was a lot of fun, going up this staircase. She doubted there were any staircases like this where she came from.

All too soon she reached the top. If only it could have gone on longer…she mused. This train of thought was brought to an abrupt stop when she saw the platform. It was uncovered, with a thin rail at the edge to keep people from falling off. Some areas were rusted, just like on the stairs. In one place there was no rail at all.

Gayle stared. This was the tower she'd seen. The one with Numair and the other two people. She walked over to the broken rail. This was where she'd fallen…

Suddenly she heard a sniffle. She turned around. There it was again. She walked over to the door to where she guessed led inside. Looking in, she didn't see anything. But when she heard it again, she turned to a dark corner near the wall. A little girl was curled up, hugging her knees with her head buried in her legs. She went over to her and crouched down.

"Hey," She said. The girl looked up, startled. She watched Gayle out of tear filled blue-gray eyes. Her curly black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, but some strands escaped the ties and hung in ringlets next to her light brown face.

"Are you all right?" Gayle asked concernedly. She nodded slowly, clearly unsure of what she should do. "W-Who are you?" She asked in a small voice. "Gayle Falconer. What's your name?"

"Sarrayln Salmalin. But everybody calls me Sarra."

Gayle looked at her more closely. Yes, she was Numair's daughter. She had the same hair and nose. But there was also a stubborn chin there, as well as the surprising eyes, which certainly weren't Master Salmalin's.

"All right Sarra," She started. "What are you crying for?" The little girl looked down, ashamed. "Nothing." Gayle shook her head. "Nobody cries for nothing. What's wrong?"

Sarra looked up, eyes watering again. "A boy said mommy was a witch that should be gotten rid of. I told him that at least she had moral values, unlike others." Gayle smiled slightly, then nodded for her to go on. "He pushed me down and said I was an enchantress who deserved to be burned at the stake." Her chin started to tremble and she buried her head in her legs again.

"Shh shh." Gayle wrapped her arms around the little girl's thin and shaking body. "Don't worry sweetling, don't worry. It'll be ok." She murmured soothingly. After a while Sarra seemed to settle down and sit contentedly in her arms.

"Your mother is Veralidaine Salmalin, right?" She asked. She got a nod in reply. "Well, from what I hear, she'd done a lot for this kingdom. Isn't she the one who mapped out the enemy during the Immortal's Wars? Doesn't she spy for the King? Those seem like things that should be proud of, not to be ashamed of." Sarra didn't answer.

"Do you have her powers? Can you talk to animals?" She questioned after a moment of silence. Another nod. "Then you should be proud of that too. I'd love to be able to communicate with animals. Don't let them get to you. If you do, they won't stop picking on you. Next time somebody says something like that, you just rattle off what your mother's done and ask them what their parents have done. I doubt they'll be able to answer."

Sarra looked up with curious eyes. "How do you know?" She asked. Gayle was silent for a moment. "I've observed these kind of things before. It happens a lot. But when you have a reply like that, most people are so embarrassed they can't respond. It works, believe me. Now," She said. "Would you like to go outside and see the view?" The little girl raced out on to the platform as an answer. Gayle grinned.

She strolled out the door and stood at the rail with Sarra. They both stared out a long time, admiring the scenery. "Why are you here?" Gayle looked down. "Why? I came with Percy Miller. I didn't want to be at his house all by myself." Sarra's eyes lit up. "Percy? He's here? How is he? How's Elle?" She laughed and replied to each question as they came flying out of the eager five-year-old's mouth.

Before she could come up with another response, she asked her one. "You have the ability to shape-shift, don't you?" Sarra nodded. "Can you change your eyes or ears to detect sounds and sights you wouldn't be able to normally?"

"Yes. Do you want me to?" She seemed so excited to be able to Gayle had to say yes. The girl's eyes went out of focus, then, to Gayle's surprise, changed to eagle's yellow eyes. It was one thing to hear about one's ability to change, but to see it…

She turned to the rail and asked the shape-shifter, "What do you see?" The girl stared into the distance for a moment, then replied slowly, as if naming them while seeing them. "A golden hawk. Storm clouds. A group of soldiers. A knight and his squire." It continued that way for a while, Gayle asking what she could see, Sarra describing in detail.

They had just discovered a young couple sneaking off to exchange kisses when a low voice said, "Sarra! Where've you been?" Sarra ran towards the direction of the voice, giggling excitedly. "Da!" Gayle watched the two hug. It had probably been a while since they had seen each other, since Numair had been traveling with the Third Company to fetch Percy. The scene made caused her to think back to all the times where she'd done the same thing with her father. She felt tears come to her eyes and looked back to the forest below.

It was hard to see anything down there, just vague figures. Some were larger than others. Some were incredibly short. Just like her father. Damn it! She just couldn't seem to get those thoughts out of her head. She tilted her head back, keeping the tears from leaking out.

"Gayle!" She looked around. Sarra was jumping up and down happily, ecstatic to see her father again. "Gayle, this is my Da. Da, this is Gayle Falconer." She smiled. "We've met already Sarra. He was traveling with the Third Company, who I came down with." The five year old looked disappointed. "No need to be upset. You can make us better acquaintances." The little girl blinked. "Friends." Numair explained.

"Oh." She seemed to contemplate this for a moment. "I'm going to find Ma. Bye Gayle. Bye Da." She gave him a kiss on the cheek, waved good-bye to Gayle, then trotted off to the stairs. She shook her head. Kids, She thought. They're so sweet. Just like those ones at the park. She had to get her mind off that. That was too confusing.

"It's nice to see you again, Master Salmalin." She told him with a smile. "You as well." He replied. She became uncomfortable with the silence. He was looking at her like he had so many times on the trip: contemplative and curious.

Nervous, she sat down on the thin rail. It wiggled, then supported her. He looked at her with confused eyes, as if unsure how she managed to sit on the rail. She turned to look at the view again, swinging her legs over so she would be more comfortable. "Are you sure that's safe?" She looked back at him. He had a worried expression on his face. "Not really. But I'll do it anyway." She responded happily. He stared at her. "I like dangerous things." She explained. He still looked confused. She shook her head. "Never mind. It's not really something I can explain."

He came up beside her. "I've been meaning to talk to you." He started. "To introduce yourself personally?" She asked hopefully. "No."

She sighed. "I hadn't thought so." She stared back moodily at the vista. The wind made the platform seem even lonelier. Something caught her eye. Another picture appeared.

_A lone figure stood on the wall of a castle, sword raised. Long brown hair blew back in the wind, mail covered their chest. "Fight me!" She screamed. "Fight me! Gods damn you, FIGHT ME!" A wall of arrows suddenly appeared in front of her. A sheet of red fire came into existence, causing the arrows to burn as they touched it. _

"_COME OUT AND FIGHT ME SHADOW!" She shrieked. She didn't seem to notice the magic creeping up the wall, pure black and full of malice. Another figure appeared and dove towards the short woman, covering her in a shield of green fire. The black substance fought at the protective covering, but did nothing. The magic burst into nothing and the other warrior stood bow at her side, quivers on her back. _

"_Holly, leave." She told the other quietly. When she opened her mouth to argue, she replied, "No. Leave now, Holly. I know what I'm doing." The shorter one seemed to battle with herself, then nodded. She ran low, hiding behind the crenellations of the wall as she went to retreat. _

_The young woman stood in between two of the stone pillars, calmly facing the mass of invaders. She dropped her weapons and raised her hands, green magic gathering…_

Gayle blinked and the image vanished. That one had been strange. That had seemed like some sort of war. That woman with green fire. She seemed familiar…

A hand came on her shoulder, nearly causing her to fall off the railing. "Steady." Numair told her. "Don't fall." She wouldn't meet his eyes. "Sorry. My mind was wandering." He shook his head at her.

"Don't bother lying." He said. "I know what happened." Still trying to appear ignorant, she raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Do you? What, then?"

"You just had a vision."

She looked at him. "Excuse me? Vision? What, are you suggesting that I have magic?" Seeing the look on his face, she snorted. "Please. I'm the most unlikely person in the world to have magic." He raised an eyebrow of his own. "Why?"

She turned back to the forest, eyes clouded. "You don't want to know." She answered sadly.

"Gayle," He turned her back to him. "I know what magic is. I am the most powerful mage in Tortall, after all. You just had a vision. I saw the magic." She stared at him. "Magic. You saw it." He nodded.

"You're crazy."

He opened his mouth to reply and she put a hand up. "No. Don't even think about it." He opened his mouth.

"Gayle-"

"No."

"Listen-"

"Uh-uh."

"You-"

"What part of no do you not get?"

"Gayle," He seemed to be losing his patience. Small world, she thought, annoyed.

"Shut it." She closed her fingers around her thumb, mimicking zipping something shut. He seemed to be trying to say something, but he didn't. Like he was unable to, she mused. In any case, she was glad he didn't. She swung her legs over the rail and set herself down on the platform.

With one last poisonous glance at the mage, she set off down the stairs. Gods. How one man managed to be so bothersome…

It never occurred to her as she stormed down the rusty steps of the staircase that Numair hadn't said anything was because he hadn't been able to.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Ok, if you're confused about this last part, it means that she unwittlingly used her magic to silence him. That's what it is, just to clear things up. I'm not making sense, am I? Oh well. Naginata, Naginata, Naginata…

Eveiveneg


	8. Mother and Jester

**Me**: _(Is standing in a sea of llamas, looking down at something. Hears someone cough and looks up)_ Oh. Hi. Uh, you guys should just go ahead and read the story.

**Disclaimer**: HELLO!

**Me**: Where did you come from?

**Disclaimer**: Over there. _(Points in another corner)_

**Me**: Uh, great.

**Disclaimer**: Hey, what's that? _(Tries to get better look through herd of llamas)_

**Me**: Nothing.

**Disclaimer**: Is that blo-

**Me**: No.

**Disclaimer**: Ok. _(Skips off happily)_

**Some Dude**: _(Passes by and sees something in llama's protective huddle. Face goes several interesting colors of green)_ What happened?

**Me**: Well, we were chasing RG. He kind of fell into my cage of rabid monkeys_…(Looks down again)_

**SD**: Uh-oh.

**Me**: Yeah. It's gonna take a while to clean up…

**SD**: Uh, no. Nobody told you, did they?

**Me**: What?

**SD**: Err…

**Me**: What happened?

**SD**: Well…

**Me**: Spit it out before I make you.

**SD**: The rabid monkeys got out…

**Me**: WHAT?

**SD**: Er, yeah.

**Me**: They got out?

**SD**: Yes. Oh, and the evil opossums did too.

**Me**: We're screwed.

**SD**: Why?

**Me**: You do remember what happened last time, don't you?

**SD**:_ (Shudders) _Is it even possible to forget?

**Me**: Well, that's why.

**SD**: We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die.

**Me**: Well, since we're going to croak, as SD so eloquently put it,

**SD**: We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die.

**Me**: None of the characters are mine, yadda yadda yadda. Now. RUN FOR YOUR GOD DAMN LIFE BEFORE THE MONKEYS AND OPOSSUMS GET YOU!

**SD**: We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die

**Mother and Jester**_by Eveiveneg_

Gayle stood in the field of grass where the Riders trained. She'd come here about two weeks ago and had settled well into the routine. Though the horses weren't here yet, she'd had a good time. If you counted running around the meadow in continuous circles for two hours as a good time. Which Gayle did.

Today, though, would be different. The Horse Mistress was arriving today, towing the trainees' new horses with her. Gayle was excited. She hadn't been on a horse since the ride down to Corus, and was aching to start riding again.

She'd been waking up everyday before everyone else, including the officers who trained them. She would practice using a staff, using sticks as substitutes. She hadn't been able to get a hold of the bows, so she had to wait until they were allowed to use them.

The first morning here, while practicing, an explosion had occurred inside. She'd been so frightened; she'd nearly fallen on some animals that had joined her. Later she found out that it had been one of the officers, Sarge, a large dark-skinned man who seemed to have some bear blood in him, waking up the male trainees.

Now, though, she was used to it. She'd get down to the mess hall before everyone else, ready to eat. A couple of the trainees would talk to her, or in many of the boys' cases, flirt with her. She would flirt in response, having seen others done so before. She hadn't realized she was such a proficient flirt before then, and was satisfied by the trainees' responses. It was really invigorating for actual boys to talk to her after so many years of being shunned by them.

Today, though, she wanted to see the horses in the stables. She pushed open one of the doors and slid in, shutting it behind her. The horses looked at her, thinking she might give them food. She smiled and walked past the stalls, admiring the animals. They were all very fine. Her grandfather would have liked them.

One of them caught her eye. She walked over to the stallion, amazed at his shining coat. He glanced at her. "Oh," She said quietly. "You're amazing." He was a tall, cream–colored stallion. His snow-white mane was long and hung down over his flanks.

She held a hand out; he sniffed it and snorted. She held back a laugh. He continued to explore her, stuffing his snout into her pockets. She giggled as his hair tickled her skin. "Aren't you the curious fellow?"

"He is indeed."

She looked around, startled. A man with sharp blue eyes was leaning against one of the stall walls and watching her. He looked like he was in his early thirties, with a lean build.

"Hello." She tilted her head curiously. "Who're you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Direct, aren't you?" She stared at him, waiting. He sighed. "Evin Larse." She was startled. He was the Commander of the Riders.

"I was taking care of some bandits, and would have been here otherwise." He said, not seeming to notice her surprised expression. "We got back the day before yesterday, and I had to deal with paperwork." He made a face. She smiled.

"I noticed you've been getting up about two hours earlier than everyone else here." He commented. She shrugged. "I always get up early." She stated a she rubbed the stallion's side. "It's hard to break an old habit." He looked at her curiously.

"What's your name?" He asked. "Gayle Falconer."

"Ah." He nodded in understanding. "You're the one Percy was talking about." She raised an eyebrow. "Has he? He failed to mention that he was spreading my name around the palace." She shook her head. "It's a shame when you can't even depend on an old man not to spread word about."

He grinned wryly. "Too true." He glanced at the horse she was still being inspected by. "What do you think of him?" Gayle looked at the horse. "Yours, I presume?" He nodded. "He's a fine horse. I haven't seen one this good-looking, or silly," She added as he snuffled in one of her breech pockets. "In a long time."

She stroked the gelding's forehead. He butted his head into her arm. "He's a sweet guy." She nudged him towards the commander. "Go say hi to your wonderful master." He trotted over to the tall blonde and rubbed against him affectionately.

She perched herself on one of the walls, watching with a smile as the man greeted his horse.

"UP AND AT 'EM TRAINEES!" Evin jumped, but Gayle simply sighed. "I'll never get used to that." Evin remarked. "But you apparently have." She shrugged. "My mother enjoyed doing the same thing to me when I was younger." He shuddered. She shrugged again and slid off the wall.

The commander joined her as she headed to the mess hall. "So what do you think of our training?" He asked. "It's fine. A bit boring, but fine." He glanced at her with a confused expression. "Boring?" She nodded. "So far all we've done is run around the field. Not that it isn't beneficial," She added hastily, thinking he might get ideas. "But doing the same thing over and over can get tedious." He grinned at that. "You don't have to worry. The ponies are coming today, and then we'll be able to start with the real training." She sighed gratefully. "Good."

They were silent a moment. "Race you." Evin said abruptly. He started running. "Hey!" She yelled, starting after him. She didn't catch up to him. She could have, but chose not to. Why let people know your strengths when you could surprise them later on?

They both pounded into the mess hall, surprising the trainees as the raced past them. They slowed to a stop.

"Cheater." Gayle said between fake pants.

"You're just a sore loser." Evin said with an air of dignity.

"I only lost because _you_ cheated." She retorted. "Maybe." She mock-scowled at him.

"That was interesting." A voice remarked. She glanced at the speaker and blinked in surprise. A tall woman with flawless ivory skin and clear hazel eyes was looking at Evin with raised eyebrows. She brushed back a lock of raven black hair as she went on. "I hadn't realized our Commander had started racing again. Especially after what happened the last time he did so."

"I never learn." He stated proudly. "How have you been lately Thayet?" The Queen of Tortall shrugged. "Same old, same old. I'm just glad to be able to help with the trainees. I'd go mad otherwise." Evin nodded in understanding.

"So," She began. "Who's your friend?" He grinned. "Thayet, this is-"

He turned and stopped short. Gayle wasn't there any more. "What the-" He looked around. She wasn't anywhere in sight. All he could see was a mass of trainees.

As soon as she'd realized who the woman was, Gayle had melted into the crowd. Not that she wanted to be rude, of course. But if she were introduced to the Queen, she would most likely be mentioned to the King. And if the King knew about her, he would begin to become suspicious of her. She couldn't have that. Not after she'd made so many friends here.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The trainees were running around the field again. Evin watched them with a grin. He knew what it was like to have to sprint around all day, everyday. It could be a bit, no, _very_, exhausting. Sarge was urging them on as he jogged among them, making sure all could keep the pace.

His eyes wandered back to Gayle, who was in the midst of the group. The scarlet-haired girl was towards the back of the runners, with the rest of the trainees who lagged behind. It seemed that she wasn't the best of runners.

But this reasoning was contradicted by the fact she was chatting with her temporary companions. Wouldn't she be too out of breath to talk? He sighed. She was a strange girl. There was a mysterious and sad tone in her voice, despite her usual cheerfulness. Something that made you think. She seemed to be hiding something, too…

He heard a shout and turned to see who it was. A woman was leading a train of ponies into the field. He waved at her. It was Onua, the Horse Mistress for the Riders and a good friend of his.

He whistled sharply, catching Sarge's attention. He nodded towards Onua and Sarge nodded in reply. "TRAINEES! ONE MORE LAP AROUND AND YOU'RE THROUGH!" Most of the others groaned.

Gayle glanced at him before returning to the conversation she was currently having with one of other trainees. "Hey," She said abruptly. "I've got an idea." The girl, Mya, looked at her uneasily. The last time she'd said that, they'd very nearly blown up the Own's barracks.

"What?" Mya asked cautiously. "We'll do a little chant to encourage our fellow trainees." She announced proudly. Mya looked unsure. "Ah, come on! Do it with me!" Gayle pleaded. "No, I don't think I will."

"Why not?"

"Well, considering the last time we almost set fire to the barracks of the King's Own."

"I keep telling you, that wasn't my fault! When I put the alcohol there, I didn't realize that it was right next to the fire!"

Mya looked at her with skepticism. "Sure you didn't. In any case, the answer is still no."

"Fine. I'll just have to do it on my own."

Evin was staring off into space when someone started shouting.

"WE ARE THE TRAINEES, THE INCREDIBLY SPLENDIFEROUS TRAINEES!"

Evin looked towards the trainees, startled.

"SOON TO BE A RIDER, WE HAVE TO PACK UP LIGHTER!"

It was Gayle. She looked incredibly excited. Though why, he was entirely unsure. If the looks the other trainees were giving her were any indication, she was in for a very painful experience.

"UP EARLY EVERY DAY, WE CAN'T TAKE IT, COME WHAT MAY!"

She hadn't seemed to catch the glares the others were giving her. That, or she was ignoring them.

"EVERYONE HEARS US SAY ALOUD: WE ARE STUPID AND WE'RE PROUD!"

She started to repeat the entire thing.

"WE ARE THE TRAINEES, THE INCREDIBLY SPLENDIFEROUS-"

She'd finally noticed the trainees after they'd leapt at her. She laughed and started running faster, trying to get away from them. She was still laughing, despite the growls and shouts that the trainees were emitting.

She spotted the Commander and gave him a friendly wave as she sprinted by. He waved back, grinning. She ran past the point where she would have been allowed to stop, but kept going, for obvious reasons.

"Masters and Mistresses!" She called back to the trainees. "Why do you try to hurt someone who only wants to encourage you?" They all shrieked in annoyance. 'What did I ever do?' She wondered sorrowfully. 'Why don't people ever appreciate me?' She thought for a moment. 'Oh yeah. I annoy them.'

When she looked back to see if maybe her pursuers were tiring, she was unhappy to see that they were starting to get out of breath. 'Maybe I should slow down a bit, so they can regain their breath…' She thought. Her pace slowed almost imperceptibly.

But Evin saw it, as well as Sarge and Queen Thayet, who had joined him at the edge of the field. "Did you see that?" He asked. The two nodded. Sarge grinned suddenly. "She wants to be chased. You can see it in her face." He announced. Thayet smiled. "What a tease."

Gayle was still loping ahead of the trainees, keeping back tears of mirth. It was just so funny. All of the others were shrieking, growling, yelling, and so on, which clearly told Gayle just what they were going to do to her if they caught her.

Seeing a nice, tall tree off in the distance, she headed towards it, the trainees following close behind. She vaulted over the fence that separated her from the big oak.

"Nearly there, nearly there, nearly there." She muttered to herself. 'Yes, I see the branches. They're very big and homey and safe. Surely they will keep me out of harm's way aka psychotic, insane, mentally disabled young adults with creepy pyromaniac-like glints in their eyes. Or not. Please let it be the former.'

Twenty yards. Fifteen yards. Ten yards. Five yards. As soon as she was close enough, Gayle started scrambling up the tree, causing a lot of bark and leaves to fall down.

She was about three quarters of the way up before she realized that no one was following her. She looked down and saw all the trainees, each and every one of them, just staring at her. She tilted her head as she watched them, but remained silent.

After a few minutes, one of the asked in an annoyed way, "Don't ya want ta why we aren't going after you?" She shrugged. "Not really."

"Well, it's because we don't feel like going up there, so we're going to wait for you to come down." She grinned down at the speaker. "You do realize I just tricked you into telling me?" He blinked then swore quietly. "You need to work on that. It's not a good quality in a Rider to be tricked into something so easily."

The boy glared at her. She shrugged again. "Whatever…" She looked off into the distance, warm and happy. It was nice up here, with the wind blowing gently and the sun shining down.

She thought maybe she should go down. But then again, there were people trying to kill her. What did it matter, anyway? If she could just sit here all her life, without a care in the world, she'd be perfectly content. No enemies, no hurt. She'd be free from it all. Angst, depression, everything, she'd be free from it.

She saw a dark, strange shape. She frowned for a moment, then started to relax, half-closing her eyes. It was like the thing had a voice. She could hear it speaking to her, in a low, soft, enticing voice. 'You are a hurt child, sad, lonely. I can help you. Come here, child. You will be safe from the world's harm…'

It seemed to be taking shape, a tall, elegant creature. A woman, cloaked and hooded, but you could tell from the way she held herself and moved that she was a woman. 'Come, child.' She beckoned to her. Gayle smiled dreamily and stood up slowly, feeling light and airy. She didn't realize that the body of a redheaded girl lay behind her, slack and unmoving.

The mysterious figure smiled and held out her hand to the girl. She raised her hand and was about to place it in the stranger's, when she heard something.

"Gayle!"

She was suddenly back, sitting on the branch. Actually, she wasn't. She was falling off. She immediately went into action. She grabbed a smaller, thinner branch that was nearby, dropping it and grabbing another. She repeated this pattern as she fell to the ground.

When she finally landed, she felt a little dizzy. The trainees watched her with dazed looks on their faces. Mya came up to her. "Are you all right?" She asked worriedly. Gayle nodded absently. "Fine, fine. I kind of drifted off. Sorry 'bout that."

The group surrounding them seemed to be coming back to their senses. She quickly noticed this, and went into action. She pointed over their shoulders, and shrieked, "RACOON!"

All of them turned around to see what she was screaming about, stared in confusion for a second, then realized what she'd said. But by that time she had disappeared, having run away in the other direction as soon as they'd turned around.

For a moment the trainees looked dumbfounded, then shrugged and went off in different directions.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When the lunch bell finally rang, Gayle cautiously entered the mess hall. None of them noticed her. She sighed happily. At least she wasn't going to get mauled. Today, at least.

She sat down next to Mya, who glared at her for a moment before smiling and turning back to her food. They were almost done eating when Sarge stood up and began to talk.

"Well, my lambs, today's the last day of lazing around." Mya rolled her eyes and Gayle grinned. "Onua, our horse mistress," A rather short, black-haired woman stood up. "Has arrived. Since she's brought the ponies we need, we get to start our _real_ work. After lunch you're off to the fields to pick out your new mounts."

Gayle broke into a happy smile. 'Finally.' She thought as Sarge sat down again. It was about time. When she was finished, she picked up all her dishes, dropped them off with the servants, and trotted out the door.

When she reached the field, she smiled. The ponies were wandering around, munching on the grass, standing nervously in groups, or just playing around. She watched them for a moment, content just to see them. Then she hopped over the fence and strolled over to where some horses were.

They glanced at her uneasily. She just stood there, humming 'Poisoning Pigeons in the Park', a song she rather liked. It was a good thing that the ponies didn't understand the words, or they might have slowly backed away like any sane person or animal. But they didn't. In fact, they seemed to like her humming. Or maybe the fact she was a psycho didn't seem to bother them.

In any case, they started to approach her, sniffing her curiously. She let them. She was used to horses and knew they weren't likely to hurt her. This was just the horses' way of inspecting someone.

After they seemed satisfied, they waltzed away, apparently losing interest in her. She went over to a tree and sat down underneath it. She watched as the other trainees came into the field and introduced themselves to the horses.

"La-la, la-la, la-laaaa, la, la-la, la-la, la-laaaa, la," She hummed to herself. "They're oh so, oh so, annooooying." After a while she started walking among the horses and trainees, looking at them all with a speculative expression.

She was watching Mya introduce herself to one of the horses when something butted her from behind. Looking around, Gayle saw dark eyes watching her curiously. A long-legged gelding stood there, flicking his ears back and forth as he analyzed her. His reddish brown coat was splotched everywhere with white. His straight black mane was very long, hanging down to the tops of his legs.

She gently blew in his nostrils, introducing herself. He blew back in her face and she chuckled. He ran around her and stopped abruptly. "You're a weird guy." She remarked. He shook his head vigorously and she laughed loudly. He let out a whinny and she heard a neigh in reply. She turned around to see who he was calling to, and stared.

A tall, majestic mare stood a ways off. Her long white mane and tail blew in the gentle wind, standing out in extreme contrast to her inky black coat. She trotted over gracefully to them, stopping next to the playful gelding. She butted him affectionately, and he rubbed against her. It seemed they were friends.

The mare came up to her, looking at her and assessing her carefully. Gayle stood still, not wanting to give the horse the wrong impression. Suddenly, the mare was in front of her. Unsure of what she was doing, Gayle didn't move. Then she blew in her face. Gayle smiled and did the same.

She rested her head on the girl's shoulder, giving her a playful bite on the ear. Gayle laughed and gently rubbed her snout.

"Well," A voice said behind her. She turned and looked at the horse mistress. "I'm surprised." Gayle blinked.

"Why ever would that be?" She asked, curious.

"That mare there has been the only one out of all the ponies here," She waved her hand around. "That didn't listen to me. The only one who distrusted me. She didn't even want to go near Daine." Gayle blinked again. What? Not want to go near the Wildmage?

"She stayed away from the rest of the group, except for that one there." She nodded at the gelding, which, at the moment, was running around in a circle for no apparent reason. Gayle really doubted that there was one.

"And she just comes up to you and plays around with you." Onua shook her head. "You must have a gift with horses." Shesmiledwryly and shook her head. "Naw. Not me. Just your average, dull-witted trainee." She replied.

Onua grinned. "I'd have to agree with that. I saw you being chased by all the others. And I saw you encourage them to do so in the first place." Gayle grinned happily. "I know. It's just so much fun to tease others." When the K'mir raised her eyebrows, she quickly added, "No, no. Not in that way. I haven't met a guy I would even want to _touch_, let alone kiss."

The gold-skinned woman smiled and nodded her understanding. "So," Gayle looked over at the two horses standing a ways off. "Do they have names?" The horse mistress nodded. "The gelding's name is Jester." Gayle smiled at this. "How appropriate." Onua grinned in return, but then frowned and turned back to the horses. "But the mare, she doesn't have one. Daine couldn't figure it out. She just wouldn't answer."

Gayle watched the two horses. Jester was prancing around, acting very much like a young boy. He would snap playfully at the other and draw back quickly. The mare simply stood quietly, giving the gelding a look rather like one that a mother would give to her child; annoyed, amused, and affectionate.

"Anya." She said abruptly.

"What?" Onua looked at her, confused.

"Anya." She repeated. "It means mother in Hungarian."

The older woman blinked. "Hunga-what?"

"It's a language my mother taught me." She explained quickly. 'Stupid, stupid!' She yelled at herself. 'No one knows what Hungarian is!' Onua, not seeming to notice her inner-turmoil,glanced at the horses again. After a moment, she smiled. "It fits."

Gayle nodded, then turned and walked towards the two. They watched her approach. "Hey," She stepped up to the black mare. "I want to ask you something." The horse cocked an ear. "What do you think of the name Anya?" She asked.

She seemed to consider it a moment. Then she pulled the girl's hair lightly and blew in her ear. Gayle's lips curved up into a smile. She knew what that meant. "Good." She picked up an imaginary sword and tapped the horse's shoulders.

"I dub thee Lady Anya." She said formally. "Bear the name well." The mare snorted in response. She grinned and stroked the animal. Jester came up and bumped into her, wanting attention as well. She laughed out loud and rubbed him as well.

Onua watched the scene with interest. "That was astonishing." She turned around and smiled. "It was, wasn't it Daine?"

The Wildmage nodded. "That horse refused to talk to both you and me, who have wild magic. Then that girl comes," She gestured to Gayle. "And she accepts her without question." She shook her head. "What does it mean?"

Onua looked at the tall redhead who was playing around with the two horses. "I don't know, Daine. I really don't know."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Whoa. Long chapter. It was all pretty much rambling about nothing, too. I'll try to make the next one better. Really.

Ok, answer me this. I've been thinking about doing another story, with either Tortall or Circle of Magic. It kind of depends. You know, this is actually two questions. I'll write 'em down here:

**1)** Should it be set in Tortall or Circle of Magic?

**2)** Should I start it now? Or should I wait until I've finished this one, letting me focus on it singularly?

Give me your opinion please. _(Bangs large gong that is conveniently placed right next to the computer)_ That is all.

Eveiveneg


	9. Challenge

_This story chapter is dedicated to my Aunt Beth, who died of a stroke on March 9, 2005. May her soul forever rest in peace._

**Me**: _(In middle of cluster of llamas. Dressed in military regalia, camouflage shirt, pants, boots, and helmet. Sword is at hip and gun in holster. Shield on back. Other random weapons all about body, including a rifle, chainsaw, and bazooka. After about ten minutes notices the people standing there, watching her)_ What are you doing here? I TOLD YOU TO RUN AWAY! Oh well. It's not my fault if you all die…

**Disclaimer**: _(Pops out of nowhere) _What're you doing?

**Me**: DAMN IT! DON'T DO THAT!

**Disclaimer**: Why?

**Me**: Because, you idiot, there are…_(Pauses to think for a moment)_ Suffice to say that there are bad things out right now. Now go away. _(Makes shooing motions with hands)_ Shoo shoo.

**Disclaimer**: What bad things?

**Me**: Go away.

**Disclaimer**: But-

**Me**: Now.

**Disclaimer**: I-

**Me**: Move it.

**Disclaimer**: Then-

**Me**: You want to know?

**Disclaimer**: Yeah.

**Me**: Really?

**Disclaimer**: Yes.

**Me**: Will you go away if I tell you?

**Disclaimer**: If you give me a cookie…_(Sees look on her face and pouts) _Yes.

**Me**: All right… Do you remember the rabid monkeys and evil opossums?

**Disclaimer**: _(Blank look on face)_

**Me**: Oh, right, sorry… Do you remember the OOO-OOOs and the Tchik-ilik-konamis?

**Disclaimer**: _(Eyes go wide)_

**Me**: Yep. They're back.

**Disclaimer**: AHHHHHHHH! _(Runs off screaming)_

**Me**: That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. _(Screaming suddenly becomes much louder and panicked. Then it goes silent)_ I knew it. Anyway, the characters and stuff aren't mine, they're Tamora Pierce's. I'm not going to bother with the warning I told you guys last time. All right. Go read the story. It's probably safer…THERE! _(Pulls pistol out and jumps on Cookie and gallops off, group of llamas following close behind. Suddenly the screaming of monkeys and opossums is heard. Giant swarm runs by, shrieking like…well, rabid monkeys and evil opossums)_

**Challenge** _by Eveiveneg _

"TRAINEE FALCONER, YOU'RE OFF TARGET!"

Gayle winced at the sound. It seemed Sarge had noticed her bad shooting. 'Finally.' She thought. They'd been practicing shooting arrows for at least an hour. She'd missed using bows and arrows, but knew she couldn't use them properly for a while. If she wanted to seem like a normal trainee, she had to cast the illusion of having trouble with some things.

She picked up another arrow and pretended to struggle with setting it up, holding the bow awkwardly. She heard sniggers, but when she cast them an amused glance, they went quiet. It seemed that they respected her now, for being able to handle Anya.

It had been three weeks since the trainees had picked their mounts, and word had spread of her mare being rather strange around everyone, including the Wildmage herself. The only person who she didn't ignore was Gayle. In fact, she acted rather motherly to her, as her own mother had been if she'd been alive when this situation occurred.

She drew the string back with her ring finger shakily in the exact way that had always exasperated her father. As a child, she'd had a tendency to draw the bow with the wrong fingers when she was flustered. Now, of course, she knew better than to do that. But she had to act as if she wasn't comfortable with shooting right now.

"Trainee Falconer," She looked around to see Sarge standing there, an exasperated expression on his face. "You're holding the bow incorrectly." She blinked, trying to look surprised. "How am I supposed to hold it, then?" She asked in a stupefied manner.

"Like this." He corrected her grip on the bow and arrow. "Try now." She pulled back the string in the correct but still shaky way. She took a few moments to lock her eyes on her target, not the red and white painted bull's eye, but somewhere above it. She loosed the arrow and it flew straight over the top of the target by at least six inches.

She heard a sigh come from Sarge. "Oops." She whispered in a guilty way. "I'll go get it…" She ran off to get it, escaping the sharp eye of the officers for a moment. 'I wish I could just play around on my own.' She thought. Actually, that was a good idea. Maybe it was something she could add to her morning routine.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Buriram Tourakom, better known as Buri, strolled along the palace grounds. She'd come from Golden Lake to visit her friend Thayet. She'd also come to see how the new trainees were doing. Though she wasn't the Commander any longer, she still liked to stop in and see how everyone was doing.

She'd brought her twins, Alex and Kira, with her. The two three year olds seemed to enjoy the company of the Salmalins, so she'd left them there for the time being. Buri smiled wryly. Kim was very like her father, though she'd inherited her mother's looks. Alex, on the other hand, seemed more like Buri, in both her seriousness and humor.

So absorbed in her thoughts, Buri almost didn't hear the door close. She stopped, startled, and looked around the corner. A tall young woman with scarlet hair had come out, holding an unstrung recurved bow, bowstring, arrows, and a target. She looked around, as if making sure no one was there, then started setting up. Buri kept quiet, wanting to see the girl shoot.

About thirty paces away from the bull's eye, she uncoiled the string and hooked it onto the bow. She stuck the arrows in the ground in a line so she could grab them easily. The last one she kept, setting it onto the bow. She pulled the string back to her ear in a smooth, practiced motion. She let go without pausing to aim and picked up the next arrow. She shot all the arrows in quick succession, not once stopping for a moment to pick out her target. When she was done all of the arrows were clustered at the center.

Buri's eyebrows shot up. This girl was good. Really good. Almost as good at shooting as Daine.

Her lips twisted to the side in thought. She went and tried to pull the arrows out, and after a few long minutes, succeeded. She continued doing this for about fifteen minutes or so.

When she went to pull the arrows out again, instead of putting the arrows in the ground as she set up, she plunked them into a quiver Buri hadn't noticed and set it on her back. She pulled out a black scarf and tied it over her eyes. Buri raised her eyebrows again. How well would she do with a blindfold blocking her vision?

The redhead took out an arrow, set it up, and drew the string back to her ear. A moment later she'd let go. It landed in the exact center of the small bull's eye. A second arrow followed the second one and landed in the center of the bull's eye, splitting the first arrow in half, wood and all.

Buri's mouth opened slightly. Hearing the cracking of wood, the girl peeked out from behind the scarf. Seeing the split arrow, she grimaced and swore softly. "Not again." She muttered.

'Again?' Buri wondered in amazement.

She left quietly, leaving the young woman pulling out the two arrows. This was something she had to talk to Evin and Sarge about. You didn't see a girl with that kind of talent everyday.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gayle was rubbing Jester down after the morning's ride when she heard it.

"She'll be mine. I don't doubt it in the least. She's a woman, after all. What can they do?"

She paused, listening.

"You probably shouldn't judge her like that. What about the Lioness? What about The Protector of the Small?"

"Please," She clearly heard the scorn in the speaker's voice. "Don't make me laugh. Anyone with eyes can see that they bewitched the King and his Court into doing what they wanted. As I said, they're _women_."

Gayle mentally sighed. Why did men keep doing that? How could they not get it? It was a mystery for the ages.

" I'm telling you, you shouldn't do that. You know better than anyone else that women can fight well. Didn't Gret's Shadows help protect your family's fief?"

She heard the other one growl.

"Shut up. I'm going to get that redhead if it's the last thing I do. She won't be able to resist me. Besides, it's not as if she's very good at being a warrior. She's a perfect example of why women can't fight."

She groaned inside her head. She was the only one they could be talking about. As the only redheaded girl here, it was blatantly obvious. 'Why, oh why can't they leave me be?' She wondered. 'I'm not exactly pretty. Far, far from it. So why don't they just leave me alone?' She finished grooming Jester and left, after making sure all of his tack was clean and neat, of course. Sarge nodded at her as she left, acknowledging she'd done well and could leave.

She perched herself on a fence post and stared off into space. She remembered a conversation she'd heard a few weeks ago. Sarge and Evin had been talking to a small, slim, golden-skinned woman. She'd said something about one of the trainees, who was an extremely good archer. She'd told them she'd seen the girl shooting, and it was by far the best she'd ever seen. When she described the girl, which Gayle hadn't been quite able to hear, the two officers had looked at each other and burst out laughing. They'd explained to her that she must have been dreaming, because that girl was one of the worst archers that had ever come to train. They'd continued to argue while Gayle had slipped away.

The conversation had left her baffled. Who had the woman been talking about? Not her, surely? She thought she'd seen someone when she'd snuck out to practice. She'd have to avoid her; no one could know her talents.

She shook her head and looked around, bored and searching for something to keep her mind off of her thoughts. There was the possibility of visiting Percy. She smiled. Percy. Of course. She'd missed him lately. She'd grown close to him while staying at his house. He was slowly becoming like a father to her. No one could replace her parents, but that didn't make Percy any less likable.

After thinking for a moment about where he might be, she jumped off and started heading for the palace. She entered and started wandering around, glancing down halls and into partially open doors for a sign of him.

She was leaning against a wall, eyes closed, when she heard someone come up behind her. She pretended not to hear their footsteps.

"Hi." She jumped, and turned around with a surprised glance. A tall man stood there, gray eyes looking her up and down. She kept a frown from coming onto her face. "Oh, hi." She said uneasily. He had white blonde hair and a fair complexion, with little spots of color on his cheeks, reminding her of a doll she'd seen at shop when she was younger.

She felt the same thing she'd felt when she'd seen the doll: disgust.

"Can I help you?" She asked him, as if she didn't realize who he was. She recognized him. He was the man who'd been speaking in the stables. She saw he was wearing the color the uniform of a squire and a badge on his tunic displayed the insignia of the house of the knight he served.

"Oh, I'm content just watching you. You don't see beauty everyday." He responded easily, glancing at her to see if she reacted. He probably thought she was going to blush or something. She suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. She'd seen this before. A guy would flatter a girl and then ask her out. Though that probably wasn't going to be what happened now. This seemed more like a medieval time period than a modern day place. He would probably want to _court_ her. Ew. Just thinking about it made her want to throw up. He was just a slimy, sneaky piece of slime. It was easy to see that.

"Ye-ah. That's great. I'll be going then." She sidestepped him and started off down the hall. "I shall accompany the fair lady then." He announced, catching up with her. She rolled her eyes. Gods. This was going to be a long walk.

"No, I'm quite all right. You go and take care of your business." Translated, this meant, 'Get away from me, you stupid ass and leave me alone for the rest of eternity. Put your nose in someone else's business.'

He didn't seem to take the hint. "I'm Gustav of Snow's Cliff." He paused, waiting for her to respond. She didn't.

"I saw you training last week." He commented. "Great." She answered flatly. "You were very good." She glanced at him. He seemed to think she was falling for him, if the smug look on his face was anything to go by. She fought off the urge to grind her teeth. That would only ruin them. Why do that when he was involved?

"Yeah. Sure." She replied with a roll of the eyes. She wanted him away from her and made no attempt to hide it. Of course, that didn't mean he took any notice of it.

"Would you mind if I called on you later this evening?" He asked slyly. She stopped and looked at him. Was he for real? Did he think that five minutes after she met him she'd accept his offer? Yes, she thought angrily. He would.

What a cocky bastard.

"Excuse me? I swore I just heard you say that you wanted to come call on me. I must be dreaming. No, wait, silly me. That was a different dream. That specific one was a nightmare."

He tried to look wounded and only half succeeded. "You hurt me. Please, say yes."

"What will it take for you to leave me alone?" She wanted to know.

He considered it a moment. "Nothing."

She stared at him. "Tell you what," She said after a minute of thought. "An archery match. You and me. If you win, feel free to call on me any time. But if I win," She drew closer to him and hissed, "You keep your fat ass out of my life for the remainder of time."

He smiled coyly. "Fine. Be prepared to lose, Trainee." She rolled her eyes. "Fine, _Squire_. I'll see you down at the practice courts in an hour." She turned around and walked off.

Ten minutes later she was grooming her horse again. "Can you believe that jackass?" She was relating the tale to Anya. The mare rubbed her head against her in sympathy. She shook her head. "Gods know that I'd rather be impaled with a pitchfork than have him court me."

Mya burst through the doors. "What's the rush Mya? Did you forget to bring your horse in?" She teased. It was ongoing joke between them. Mya had forgotten to bring in the horses in one day, and had been known since then as "the Forgetful One".

For once, Mya ignored this. "You're shooting against Gustav of Snow's Cliff." She said it as more of a statement than a question.

Gayle blanched. How did she know that?

"What about it?" She didn't bother denying it. That would be lying, and that was something she wasn't comfortable with.

"How can you do that! He's one of the best archers in the Palace!"

Gayle raised an eyebrow. "So?"

"So? _SO_? Not to offend you or anything, Gayle, but you're one of the worst shooters of all the trainees."

"The worst. And no offense taken." Gayle replied and returned to brushing Anya.

Mya came and took the brush from Gayle's hand. "Why are you doing this? You're going to be creamed."

Gayle shrugged. "Maybe."

Her friend looked at her with annoyed black eyes. "Answer me, Gayle."

She looked at the black-haired girl as she answered. "Personal matters." She said it with such force and authority that Mya stopped asking about it and turned to helping her with grooming the mare.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

When Gayle walked out into the practice courts an hour later, she was startled to see a crowd there. Not just a crowd, but a giant, massive crowd.

Her eyes went a bit wider and became filled with realization. A servant must have heard the conversation. Of course, they'd told everyone about it. So everyone had come to see the girl with a death wish get mauled by the well-known squire.

'Damn it. Damn it, damn it, damn it.' This mantra repeated itself in her head until she thought she'd go insane.

This was a tight spot. She had two choices. She could go ahead with the match, and everyone would know she'd been lying about her talent. They'd want to know why, and that was going to take a lot of explaining. Or she could lose the match, and she'd have to be courted by Gustav. She looked at him. He was currently conversing with some friends, obviously boasting about how she'd fallen in love with him already. She didn't even want to think about that. It made her feel like throwing-up.

There was only one thing she could do.

She walked up, ignoring the swarm of on-lookers. She stopped in front of Gustav and stood there, waiting for him to notice her. After a few minutes she got bored and rapped him sharply on the head. "Oy. Anyone there?" She questioned. She thought she heard people laugh, but paid no attention.

He looked at her in an annoyed way, then quickly put on a mask of delight. "Ah. I was wondering when you'd arrived." She drummed her fingers on her arm. She suddenly realized that she was being an impatient brat. She made herself calm down, thinking of a rainy day. She instantly relaxed.

"Sorry. I was picking jewelry out for my next ball when I realized the time." She spoke in an arrogant and high-classed voice as she said this. She definitely heard people laugh this time.

She grinned impishly at them. "I see we have attracted an audience." She drawled. Gustav looked at her in disgust. Obviously he had no sense of humor. That or he preferred to make extremely dumb and perverted jokes. She wasn't quite sure which was worse.

"Come on, now." She announced, ignoring his expression. "Are we going to have a match or not?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yah, yah, yah. Sorry, cliffhanger and all. I'M THE JOLLY RANCHER LEPRECHAUN! Sorry. That was my weird thing. Ok, so I got the reviews, and took suggestions. It was made quite clear to me that I'm not to start a new story yet. I'll be a good girl and follow your orders. But I'm still not so sure about where it should take place. You guys have the next three chapters in which to submit your reviews and tell me your opinions. No, this isn't one of the chapters.

Oh, you know what's pretty weird? I got into the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Weird, I know. The county spelling bee is on March fifteenth. Great, huh? I'm kinda wishing I hadn't done the spelling bee at our school...

Sorry. Boring you with pointless things about my life. You know what? I'm gonna go hunting for badgers with one of my friends. Or frogs. We're not really sure if badgers live in California. Anyone know? Cuz I'd really appreciate it. But don't ask why we're looking for badgers. It's a long, boring, pointless trail that is connected to extremely random things. Cheerio!

Eveiveneg


	10. Win and Loss

**Me**: _(Sitting on the back of Cookie the Llama, watching area around her warily. Pistol is still out. Notices readers after a second)_ You guys just don't seem to get it, do you? There are scary little rodent things running around right now. Staying here is like asking for a death wish.

**SD**: We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die.

**Me**: _(Looks over at him, half amused, half annoyed)_ Are you capable of saying anything else?

**SD**: No. We're gonna die. We're gonna die. We're gonna die.

**Me**: You know, you just contradicted yourself

**SD**: Shut up.

**Me**: You did it again.

**SD**: Shut the hell up.

**Me**: Language, dearie.

**SD**: Fine. _Please_ shut the hell up.

**Me**: Why should I?

**SD**: Because the possums and monkeys are trying to kill us.

**Me**: _(Sarcastic)_ No!

**SD**: You are annoying as hell.

**Me**: And proud of it.

**SD**: _(Looks upwards)_ Why can't you be normal?

**Me**: Cuz. If I were normal, nothing would be fun.

**SD**: Nothing is ever fun.

**Me**: What about making out with a banana?

**SD**: Excuse me?

**Me**: _(States slowly and clearly as if talking to a child)_ What about making out with a banana?

**SD**: What about it? No, wait, where the hell did it come from?

**Me**: Don't you remember?

**SD**: Remember what?

**Me**: Wow. I thought it wasn't possible to forget something like that._ (Shakes head in awe) _You've broken yet another one of my ideas of reality.

**SD**: What're you talking about?

**Me**: Do you remember last year's New Year's Eve party?

**SD**: _(Getting increasingly annoyed)_ What about it?

**Me**: Well, it was almost midnight, and everybody was looking around for someone to do the good luck kiss with.

**SD**: _(Confused)_ So?

**Me**: Shush. I'm not done yet. You were kind of drunk, so you weren't really, well, let's just say you weren't one of the sanest people in the room.

**SD**: _(Mutters)_ I was saner than you were.

**Me**: _(Ignores rude comment)_ You kept on wailing about how bad the year had been, and how desperately you needed better luck this year. Everyone wanted you to suf- uh, I mean, enjoy yourself, so no one would let you kiss them.

**SD**: Is there a point to this story?

**Me**: Yes. So, desperate idiot that you are, just as the clock chimed twelve, you grabbed a banana and started kissing it.

**SD**: You're making this up.

**Me**: No. In fact, you made out with that banana at least thirty-five minutes. After you were done, you declared it was the best make-out session you ever had. It was pretty funny.

**SD**: Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

**Me**: _(Smirks triumphantly)_ And it gets even better.

**SD**: Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.

**Me**: My Uncle Eddy and I took a picture of it. Oh, and we recorded the entire thing with our camera.

**SD**: I hate you.

**Me**: _(Mutters)_ So does the Pentagon.

**SD**: _(Stares at her uneasily)_ What do you mean?

**Me**: _(Shrugs)_

**SD**: _(Scoots away)_

**Me**: _(Shrugs)_

**SD**: _(Momentarily silent)_ Hey, what ever happened to the Disclaimer?

**Me**: You don't want me to say.

**SD**: Why?

**Me**: Why do you think?

**SD**: The poss-_ (Eyes go wide)_ Oh. Ew.

**Me**: Yeah. Whatever. Hey, those reader people are still here.

**SD**:_ (Grumpily) _Yeah, so?

**Me**: Ah, is snookums cranky-wanky? Does he need a little nappy-wappy?

**SD**: Please shut the hell up.

**Me**: No. Anyway, _(Turns to readers)_ None of the characters, except the obvious ones, are mine. They are Tamora Pierce's.

**SD**: You'd think they would have known that by now.

**Me**: _(Silent for a moment, then goes up to SD's ear and shouts)_ BELUGA WHALE!

**SD**: _(Jumps)_ WHAT THE HELL!

**Me**: Hee hee. That was funny.

**SD**: Grrr…

**Me**: _(Points to his head)_ The vein in your head is popping out.

**SD**: Grrr…

**Me**: I know what you need.

**SD**: What? _(Eye twitches)_

**Me**: Happy Time.

**SD**: _(Eyes go wide and he backs away)_ Oh, no you don't.

**Me**: _(Pulls out syringe)_ Yep. Time for your tranquilizer.

**SD**: AHHHHH! _(Runs off)_

**Me**: Dearie, wait! You need Happy Time! _(Runs after him with syringe in hand)_

**Win and Loss**_by Eveiveneg_

"Move it, Trainee."

Gayle looked at him amusedly. "Patient, aren't we?" She asked with a smile. She picked up the bow she'd chosen, as well as the bowstring, hooking them together with a little difficulty. She didn't want to seem too perfect, right? That would make everyone even more suspicious.

"Come on, then." She gestured to the crowd. "Our audience awaits." He looked at her disgustedly. She grinned in return and turned to the targets. "Person with most accurate shooting wins." She told him. "Forty paces from the target. Three arrows each. No more, no less."

She examined an arrow. It seemed in good condition. She selected two more, checking each one to make sure they hadn't been tampered with.

Satisfied, she turned to Gustav expectantly. "Ready? Or are you still fixing your hair?" She taunted. He scowled at her and she simply looked at him innocently. She heard a couple of badly restrained laughs.

"Well, since you're so confident in your abilities, why don't you go first?" She shook her head, eyes laughing. "No, no. I think not. After you, monsieur." She bowed and looked up at him with mocking eyes, hiding her uneasiness.

She wanted to pretend. She wanted to pretend that she was bad at this kind of thing, but she couldn't. Not with Gustav involved. If he had been some other guy, somebody she didn't despise so thoroughly, she'd have lost to him. But he wasn't. No, he had to be slimy tongued Gustav of Snow's Cliff. Snow's Cliff. It was a fitting name. The cold words mirrored his manner.

He glared at her and began to stretch his arms, wasting her time and patience. She took a slow, quiet breath, calming herself. He was arrogant, conceited, conniving, and, worst of all, he had an interest in her. He had to, why else would he bother with her? There were so many others that he could, as he put it, seduce.

When she opened her eyes again, Gustav had set up his bow and was ready to go. "After you, monsieur." She waved a hand. He pressed his lips together in annoyance and picked up an arrow. He pulled the string back in a practiced motion and, after taking a moment to take aim, let go. It landed in the middle, vibrating slightly from the impact. He smirked at her and did the same with the other two. They were all clustered neatly in the middle. He gave her a cocky smile and waited for her to go.

She took a deep breath. This was it. The last moment in which she was a normal, hopeless trainee. She was going to miss the security of being utterly terrible in all she did.

She walked up to the imaginary line, where she was supposed to shoot from. She had a different target, so as not to get the judge they had confused about the arrows. The distance was small to her. Her father had made her practice from much farther away and she'd done fine. She had no doubt about this.

Calming herself again, Gayle picked up the arrow and easily fitted it to the bow. She swung the bow up and shot without even bothering to aim. She didn't wait to see the arrow land before picking up the next one. She shot the next two in quick succession.

It was entirely quiet. Everyone had known how bad a shot she was, or, at least, she'd pretended to be. She heard the judge walk up to the targets, probably sizing up the shots.

"Trainee Falconer wins." He announced rather faintly.

Without looking around at the crowd, she walked up to Gustav and whispered in his ear, "Be sure to keep your promise, Snow's Cliff." He didn't even seem to register her words. He was staring at the targets. She glanced at it quickly, grimacing when she saw that all three arrows had landed in the same place, splitting them all in half, except for the last one.

'Why the hell do I have to be such a good shot?' She wondered. 'It would have been enough just to cluster them in the center. But no, I had to go and be perfect and shear the arrows in two.' She quickly unstrung the bowstring, coiled it up, and put it away. She put the bow away and looked back at the crowd. They seemed to still be in a state of shock.

Gayle used this to her advantage. With one last look at the people gathered there, gaping at the targets, she ran off. She didn't know exactly where she was going, but she needed at least a minute or two of silence before being bombarded with questions.

Before she knew it, she was at the foot of Balor's Needle. She didn't stop to think as she dashed up the outer stairs. She didn't look for rusted steps, just pounded on up. She thought she heard stairs crumbling, but ignored it.

She skidded to a stop when she reached the top. Somebody was here already. She blinked in surprise as Kaelin of Eaton's Spire turned to her. "Blossom?" She asked confusedly. Even in her current state she was able to greet him in a joking manner.

He glared at her with dark brown eyes. "Why do you have to call me that?" He demanded. She grinned happily. "Because it annoys you." He threw his hands up. "I can't win."

She nodded in agreement. "Nope, you can't. When did you get back?" He'd been gone the last four or five weeks, helping the King's Own with taking care of a raid in the town Owl's Hollow.

"Just a few minutes ago." He replied easily. "So how've you been?" She shrugged and stared off into the distance for a minute.

Suddenly she walked over and seized him in an unexpected hug. "Glad you're back." She told him quietly. "I missed you."

He raised an eyebrow. "Missed me, did you?" He asked in an amused tone. Despite his apparent amusement, his heart was racing from her touch, as well as her words. What did they mean? He couldn't think straight. He needed her to move away for a moment.

She grinned. "No one else is as much fun to annoy, as you are Blossom." He glared at her, hiding his disappointment. Why was he disappointed? He didn't even want to think about that. "I could take that as a compliment, or an insult." She shrugged. "Take it in any way you like." She responded.

She looked off into the distance again. What had she just done? Had she really just hugged Kaelin? What had possessed her to do that? Though she hadn't realized it until just then, she _had_ missed him. He was easy to get along with, and easy to annoy. She liked that. He'd been her first actual friend. Percy was great, but he was just like a father figure to her. Before she'd come to Tortall, she'd never had friends. The closest people to her had been her parents. Animals were kind to her, but they weren't the same as an actual friend.

"Hey," Kaelin's voice startled her from her thoughts. "You okay?" She glanced over at him and smiled. He actually looked concerned. "Yeah." She sighed. "Things have been… Weird." She finally decided.

"How so?" He asked. She shrugged. "Just…off. I'm still kind of getting used to the Rider's training schedule, and all." She wasn't so sure if she wanted to tell him about the match, despite the fact he was her friend.

"Speaking of the Riders," He started. I winced. He'd heard about my supposedly bad shooting. "I've been told that you aren't the best archer." He grinned at me. "You don't know how good that makes me feel." She punched him playfully. "Though it may be true, I don't appreciate it."

She leaned against the rail, closing her eyes. It was so peaceful up here. She could hear the chirping of birds, the rustling of small animals… And the shouts of someone calling her name. Her eyes snapped open.

"Gayle!"

"Gayle! Gayle, where are you?"

"GAYLE!"

She swore softly. Kaelin looked over at her. "What's wrong? Did you just remember you had an appointment with the Seamstress?" He asked with a small grin. She didn't reply. She was too busy listening for the people again. "Gayle?" He put a hand on her shoulder. She jumped. "What?"

"Are you okay?" He asked concernedly. She nodded slightly. "Listen," She said slowly, still trying to make out her name from below. "I gotta go…" She turned around and started towards the stairs. "All right." He said a little uncertainly. "I'll see you later."

She nodded, preoccupied. She didn't want to talk to her friends, but she had to. It wasn't going to be easy. That was for sure.

She'd made it down about three steps when she suddenly felt something crumbling underneath her. Looking down, she saw that she'd stepped on an extremely weak rusted stair. 'That's not good.' She thought bemusedly. The rust-weakened stair bent and fell to pieces under her weight.

She yelped as her leg went through the hole. Her skin caught and tore on the jagged edges. She inhaled sharply and closed her eyes in pain. Focusing on keeping herself calm, she slowly drew her leg out of the hole. She took a look at it and winced. The big vein in her leg had been severed. Blood was spilling all over her clothes.

"Gayle!" She turned around to see the speaker. Kaelin hurried down the steps. "What happened?" He asked. "I stepped on a rusted stair." She said in a surprisingly calm voice. "It broke and my leg went through." He put his hand on her shoulder consolingly.

"Let me see it." She shifted her leg towards him, holding back a gasp as pain shot up her thigh. Kaelin gently lifted her leg up onto his lap. As he examined the wound he bit his lip. He tore the lower half of her breeches off so the blood wouldn't dry with it stuck to it. He pulled off his tunic and ripped it into strips. He slowly began to wrap the linen around the cut.

She bit her tongue to keep from screaming. She unconsciously gripped his arm, knuckles turning white. He continued working on the bandage, slowly and surely. Gayle forced herself to relax, though the pain was excruciating. Kaelin's hands were gentle and steady, making her calm down faster than the thoughts of rain could. Soon he was done, though the pain wasn't gone.

"Shhh." He whispered. "It's all right." She was biting her lip. "I have to clean out the wound, okay?" She nodded slowly.

He set his hands on her thigh and began to concentrate on clearing out the infection in the cut. Blue-green fire seeped out of his hands and enveloped her leg. Her muscles relaxed and she let out a soft sigh of relief. The fierce burning on her leg was leaving and coolness replaced it.

After the rust was gone, Kaelin turned to her. She was slumped over. "Gayle?" He asked softly. She glanced up at him with her green eyes. "Do you want me to heal it completely?" She nodded.

He turned back to the wound and began focusing on making it close up. The wound slowly began to fix itself, pulling the bits of muscle and skin back to normal. When it was finally done, he opened his eyes. Gayle was watching his magic disappear with interest.

"What do you find so intriguing?" She looked up, startled, then sighed. "I was just thinking. That's all."

She was fighting to keep her eyes open. "Tired?" She nodded sleepily. "C'mere." He pulled her onto his lap, ignoring her small protests. "Lean on me. You need rest and you can't do it just lying on the stairs." For once, Gayle did as she was told. She curled into a ball and rested her head on his chest. "I'll get you back to the barracks." He told her. She nodded slowly, already falling asleep.

When he was sure she wasn't awake, he pulled on the leg of her severed breeches. It would look kind of strange if she was missing part of her clothes. He grunted as he stood up. She moved slightly, but didn't wake up. He decided it would be better if he went down the other stairs. The outer ones didn't seem so safe now.

OOOOOOOOOO

That one was pretty short. Sorry, sorry. I'll try harder next time. I'm just tired. I had to make stupid oatmeal raisin cookies. I refused to eat them, and was later on tricked into eating them. Figures. I thought it tasted weird.

Yeah, there are the pointless blatherings of my life. My mom's under the impression that I'll win the spelling bee on Tuesday. I hope not. That won't make things easy. Washington... Nah, that's not me. Well, anyways, look for me on tv, or something. No idea what channel, just look. I'll be the really tall kid with a yellow Nessie shirt on. Oh, and glasses, if I can find them...

Anyways, two more chapters to submit opinions. Toodles!

Eveiveneg aka the Badger Hunter


	11. Memory

**Me**: _(Sits on the floor, Cookie at her side. As usual, does not notice readers for quite some time)_ I'm booo-red.

**SD**: Deal with it.

**Me**: But I'm booo-red.

**SD**: _(Glares)_ And what do you propose to do about it?

**Me**: Ooh, ooh, I know!

**SD**: _(Rolls eyes)_ What?

**Me**: DTOD!

**SD**: What?

**Me**: DTOD.

**SD**: What the hell is that?

**Me**: _(Slowly and patiently)_ Drunk Truth Or Dare.

**SD**: _(Amused)_ Sure, why not?

**Me**: _(Claps giddily)_ Yay!

**SD**: _(Still doesn't realize how much danger he has put himself in)_ But just where are we going to get alcohol?

**Me**: Right here! _(Pulls bottle out of bag)_

**SD**:_ (Eyes uneasily)_ Where'd you get that?

**Me**: Never mind that. You go first.

**SD**: _(Starting to see what he got himself into)_ Uh oh.

**Me**: _(Sweetly)_ What is it, dear?

**SD**: _(Quickly)_ Nothing.

**Me**: You're not getting cold feet, are you?_ (Puts hand over mouth in surprise)_

**SD**: Err...

**Me**: I see._ (Sighs in melancholy tone)_ And here I was thinking that you were actually _brave_. Silly me.

**SD**: _(Angered)_ Hey!

**Me**: What?

**SD**: I'm not a coward.

**Me**: _(Tauntingly)_ Oh, but you just said you were a tad afraid to get drunk around _me_.

**SD**: But I'm not...

**Me**: Then prove it.

**SD**: All right, truth or dare?

**Me**: _(Takes swig of drink)_ Mmm. Truth.

**SD**: Who's the first person you ever kissed?

**Me**: That was weak.

**SD**: Answer.

**Me**: Fine. Fabio.

**SD**: _(Blinks)_ What?

**Me**: I told you. Fabio.

**SD**: _(Looks extremely disturbed)_

**Me**: You don't need to worry. It was kind of a dare.

**SD**: _(Doesn't answer)_

**Me**: Err, yeah. So we can get back to the game, the characters aren't mine, nor will they ever be. Unless for some strange reason or other Tamora Pierce gives them to me under the influence of crack. Which she won't. So no worries. (Turns back to SD) All right, truth or dare?

**Memory** _by Eveiveneg_

_A six-year-old girl watched a man nervously. His white hair and sharp gray eyes made him very frightening, especially to such a young girl._

_"Hey, hon." He had a slight accent. It was hard to tell what it was. Kind of European and Southern at the same time. _

_He held a hand out. "I'm your grandfather, you mom's dad. It's nice to meet you." _

_She looked up at him. Suddenly she saw the kindness in his hawk-like eyes. Her mother's eyes. She smiled and put her hand in his. "I'm glad I finally get to meet you Grandpa." _

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_A girl with scarlet hair looked at her grandfather with an excited expression. She had learned within five minutes of meeting him that he was a mischievous man, and despite his old age, was full of a zeal and vigor that made even small children seem tired and old._

_"Come here, hon." She followed eagerly, allowing him to make her close her eyes. _

_He was taking her to the stables. She knew his ranch well enough by now to know that. The smell of horses and straw reached her nose. _

_"Grandpa," She started._

_"Not now, hon." _

_She would have given him a skeptical look, had she been able to see. For the moment, though, she would have to keep it to herself and focus on not falling on her face. _

_They came to a stop. "All right, open your eyes." She did as she was told and her mouth fell open in a gasp. _

"_Grandpa, she's beautiful." _

_A mare stood in one of the stables, calmly watching the seven-year-old gaping at her. Her dazzling white coat shone like fresh snow; coal-black strands hung low, uneven and wild. She watched the little girl with dark eyes, blinking occasionally. _

_The redhead approached her and held out a hand. The mare sniffed it and sneezed. She smiled and started stroking the beautiful horse. _

_She turned to her grandfather. "Oh, Grandpa. I love her." She said with utmost sincerity. He smiled down at her. "I'm glad to hear that, hon."_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_A ten-year-old sat on her horse, looking at the valley with curiosity. It was lush and beautiful, just like she remembered it from last year. _

_She turned and called back to her companion. "Grandpa!"_

"_What is it, hon?" He shouted back._

"_I found it!" _

_He hurried up to her and sighed admiringly at the sight of the hidden valley. "I'm glad to be here again." He told her. She grinned at him and looked back at the view. "It's so beautiful." She commented, half to herself, half to her grandpa._

"_I know. I know." He seemed to retreat mentally. She knew he was thinking about her grandma, who had died many years ago, long before she'd been born. _

_She moved closer to him and put her small, pale hand on his large one. He looked down at them. "Don't be sad, Grandpa." She said quietly._

_He smiled at her. She was so like her grandmother. The same eyes, looking up at him with worry; the same hair, though untainted by age. She had inherited the same white skin. It burned easily, though she took great care to keep it from happening. Not for the sake of appearance, though. Just because it hurt when you tried to do anything at all. Her smile. Her laugh. But there were some things that made her different. His wife had always been as easy to read as an open book. But her granddaughter was more withdrawn. She could be open, like Anna, but then could shut herself off from everyone and everything all at once. Like a book that was being read and was entirely intriguing, but suddenly snatched away and hidden._

"_Grandpa?" He shook his head and smiled at her. "Don't worry, hon. Don't worry about it at all."_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"_Come on, hon. We gotta hurry if we want to get there before noon." _

_The the thirteen year old, red-haired girl looked over at him and nodded, smiling slightly. She urged her horse, Maria, on, catching up with her grandfather. _

_He grinned at her. She grinned in return. "Race you." She challenged. He nodded, anticipation on his face. "On three."_

"_One." _

_She licked her lips._

"_Two."_

_He fidgeted, getting more comfortable._

"_Three."_

_They took off, grass turning beneath the horses' feet. She laughed as the air slapped her face, reveling in the feeling of power she had. Maria's muscles churned and bunched, propelling the two forward quickly. _

_They soon reached the small wood that came before the valley. She competently weaved through the trees, slowly getting ahead of her grandfather. _

"_C'mon Grandpa! Ya can go faster 'n that!" It was odd how she'd picked up his way of talking. She remembered how odd she thought his accent had been at first. Then she came to love it and how it made everything sound so interesting. Not long after she'd started talking like him, too. It made her seem all the more strange to others. _

_Her mood suddenly dropped. Why did they do that? She'd never done anything to make them think that. The weirdest thing that had happened was-_

"_You're losin' hon! I thought _you_ could go faster 'n that!" _

_She started and looked over at him. Indeed, he was at least five yards ahead. She grinned and urged Maria to go faster, which the mare quickly complied with. She sped past him, sending a triumphant smirk his way. _

_How she loved the wind rushing past her. It was such a good feeling. Some of her hair was coming out of its bindings, flying behind her. Though this usually bothered her, it didn't right now. Why think about that when it felt as if you were flying?_

_She glanced along side her. There were the cliffs, the ones she knew so well. The ground suddenly dropped and there was only air. A lush green meadow filled her vision, a clump of trees every now and then. This was her valley, her grandfather and hers secret place. _

_Suddenly she heard a shout. Startled, she turned around. Her grandfather was no longer in sight. Another shout. Oh no. That was him. _

"_Grandpa!" She called out. Now it sounded as if there was a struggle, then an unearthly screech. _

_She quickly turned Maria around set off in the direction of the noise. "Ya leave her be!" He yelled. Then there was the panicked neighing of his own mare, Shadow Spreader. That wasn't a good sign. She didn't scare easily. _

_She pushed her mare into a flat out gallop, not even thinking about how tiring it was for her at the moment, which showed just how worried she was. _

_Suddenly he screamed. Not just shouted. Screamed. _

_Maria stopped, throwing her out of the saddle. She rolled over, struggled to her feet and started running. _

_She burst through a thicket of bushes and saw Shadow Spreader lying there, unmoving, next to the cliff edge. A piece of cloth clung to a stick growing out of the side of the cliffs, fluttering in the wind. She walked up to it and pulled it off. It was a green bit of a shirt, with a button hanging onto it. _

_No. No, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening. She just sat there, staring in utter horror at the cloth in her hand. Then she lost it._

"_NO!" She screamed. "NO, NO, NO, NO!"_

_She hugged herself, sobs shaking her body. _

"_GRANDPA! GRANDPA! DON'T LEAVE ME!" _

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gayle sat up straight, breath short and labored.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them, sobbing. "Grandpa." She whispered hoarsely. "Why did you have to leave me? Why did everyone have to leave me?"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hee hee. Short chapter. Don't kill me. This thing needed a bit more heartbreaking stuff. Ooh. Hm. Birthday is in two days. Hm. This will probably be the last time I put on a story as a... person my age. Sorry, I'm a bit paranoid about these kind of things. Ho hum. I'll write more later. Toodles, all.

Eveiveneg


	12. Violet Eyes

**Me**: _(Lounging against random llama, looking amused. For the first time, well, ever, notices people before too long of a time has passed)_ Oh, hey dudes. I'm in a rather pleasant mood for two reasons. The first is the fact it's my birthday. Well, not for long, but whatever. The second is that, well, see for yourselves. _(Gestures to the right)_

**SD**: _(Waltzing around drunkenly)_ I miss you Lady Banana! Why did you leave me? _(Begins to sob)_

**Me**: We've been playing DTOD for the last _(Counts on fingers)_ Err, well, I don't really know. It's been a while, for sure.

**SD**: _(Laughing stupidly)_ He-he-he-he. You're fuuunnnyyy. _(Begins to do the tango with an invisible partner)_

**Me**: _(Sweetly)_ Oh, but not as much as you are, lovely banana man.

**SD**: He-he-he-he-he-he. I knooowww.

**Me**: Hey, isn't it your turn?

**SD**: Turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn, turn. _(Starts spinning around)_

**Me**: I wouldn't suggest doing that. You're going to get sick.

**SD**: Not me!

**Me**: Why?

**SD**: Because I'm SUPERMAN! _(Starts running around, making flying noises and holding hands out superman-style)_

**Me**: _(Smirks)_ I gotta save this moment. _(Takes out camera and takes pictures)_

**SD**: SUPERMAN TO THE RESCUE! _(Suddenly stops running and holds stomach)_ I don't feel good.

**Me**: _(Unconcerned)_ Not surprising. You've been spinning around doing stupid things for at least _(Calculates for a moment)_ seventy-two hours.

**SD**: _(Runs over into corner. Loud retching noises are heard)_

**Me**: _(Makes disgusted face)_ Ew. Anyway, as you dudes know, I don't own the characters, places, yadda yadda yadda.

**SD**: _(Comes back over and falls down, unconscious)_

**Me**: Great, now I've gotta wait for him to wake up. Well, until then… _(Proceeds poking him with a fork)_

**Violet Eyes** _by Eveiveneg_

Gayle shook her head, finally calming down. She looked up and around, sighing as she realized nobody was there. Then she frowned. She was in the palace's infirmary. Kaelin had said that he'd bring her to the Rider's barracks. Why was she here? She shook her head. Never mind that. Maybe he just decided it would be better if she came here. Yes, that was probably it.

Nodding her head in agreement with the thought, she looked around and found her clothes, as well as a glass of water and a brush. She dressed, washed her face and brushed her hair, braiding it back to keep it out of her face.

That done, she made sure she had everything and left. When she went out the door, it was made clear to her that it was late at night, or at least early morning. It was incredibly quiet. And dark. Extremely dark.

Somehow, she managed to get out of the palace and into the field for the horses. In the distance she'd seen the horses, sleeping. Deciding it was might be too early to ride Anya or Jester; she made herself content in the grass and lain down. It was beautiful. All the stars… So many it made it seem as if she was going to drown in them. But, oddly enough, none of the constellations there were ones she recognized. Not that she was good with astronomy or anything, but she knew a few, like Orion and Sagittarius. Neither of them was there. But there was a cat, lounging around. A tall woman, a large man, and many more. She would have to ask about them, she concluded. It would be interesting to learn about them. She fell asleep for a short time, waking before the false dawn. Deciding she might as well start practicing, she went and grabbed a staff from the weapons' shed.

She practiced near the edge of the forest, feeling more comfortable over there than in the practice courts. Just before dawn, she saw a figure come out and lounge against the edge of the building, seemingly thinking. Minutes later, somebody came running out of the palace, shouting. She heard them come out and watched them, wondering whom it was.

The person who'd been outside went over to the man, she could tell that for sure, and started talking to him. Suddenly she began to feel a need to hear what they said. After a second or two debating with herself, she started to approach quietly. As she drew nearer, she could discern that the figure was Sir Neal, Kaelin's Knight Master. For some reason, he was frantically waving his hands around, barely keeping his voice down. The person next to him, Lady Knight Keladry, she could see now, was trying her best to calm him down.

"She's not here! She's gone, she's gone!" He practically screamed at her.

"Just tell me what happened, Neal." She told him firmly. He opened his mouth to begin, then she put a hand over his mouth. "But calm down before you do." He glared, then took a deep breath. After a few seconds she asked, "Calm?" He nodded. She let her hand drop.

"Gayle's gone." Apparently she didn't take it the way he was hoping, because Gayle heard him sigh. "Oh right. You just got here yesterday, didn't you?" She nodded. He sighed again. "A few days ago Kaelin and I got back. I went to the infirmary to help out my father and he went up to Balor's Needle to think, he said." He ran a hand through his hair. "I heard some people talking about a shooting match she had with Gustav of Snow's Cliff."

Here she heard Kel snort. "Yes, I know. Anyway, apparently Gayle wasn't the best of archers, so it came as a surprise when she won. I wasn't there, but everyone was saying how amazing it was. She sheared her the first two arrows in half with the third one. That's how accurate her shot was." Kel's hands had dropped and she was betting that her mouth had too. She sighed mentally.

"Err, yes. Well, she ran off while everyone stared at the targets. No one's sure why." He added hastily as Kel opened her mouth. "Then they left and I got back to work. About half an hour later Kaelin came down, holding Gayle in his arms. One of her pant legs was torn and her shirt and breeches were soaked in blood. Kaelin's hands were covered in blood, too. Before I could ask, he said she'd gone through one of the steps on the outer stair."

Kel made a noise of annoyance. "Somebody has to do something about those stairs." He nodded in agreement and continued. "He said he'd healed her and he had been on his way to take her back to the Rider's barracks, but she'd started to toss and turn as if she was coming down with something. I checked and found she was coming down with a fever. For the past four days she's been in the infirmary, terribly sick. I couldn't do anything to prevent it, so I just made her comfortable. But now she's gone!" His voice began rising again in panic. "Yesterday she had one of the worst fevers I've ever seen, and now she's not there! I have to find her!"

He made off to look for her again, but Kel held him back. "Before you go running off again, get some other people to help."

Gayle couldn't help but smiling. Sir Neal was such a hotheaded guy. But her countenance quickly changed. Sick? She'd been sick? Four days? She shook her head. She'd have to ask Neal, then. And Kaelin.

She approached the two quietly. She leaned against her staff casually. "You need to learn not to jump to such drastic conclusions, Sir Meathead."

They both jumped and looked around. She grinned at them. "And," She added thoughtfully. "You need to learn when you talk, others can be listening. Don't act so surprised."

"B-but- Y-you were-"

"So I heard." She said amusedly. "You were desperately sick…" He seemed at a loss for words. "Key words." She told them. "Were. Not anymore. So stop stuttering, Meathead. It makes you seem unprofessional." She grinned again.

He glared at her. She returned the look with an innocent expression, then addressed Kel. "I'm thinking, since your friend seems incapable of speech right now, I should get back to work." She gestured to the staff.

Here Neal spoke up again. "Not a chance." She gave him a look. "I'm not dead, am I?" He shook his head hesitantly. "Then I'm going to assume I'm ok." He opened his mouth to argue. Suddenly she pointed over his shoulder and screamed, "BADGER!" Both knights turned around, looking for what she was screaming about. Then her words finally registered and they looked at each other in confusion. "Badger…?" Neal asked, puzzled. They looked back towards Gayle, only to find that the redhead was gone.

"She tricked us," Kel stated, trying to appear calm. "By screaming-by screaming b-badger…" She burst out laughing. "It's not that funny." Neal said sullenly. "Now I have to go find her again." He sat down, putting his head in his hands. Kel fell down, still guffawing.

Dom walked by and, seeing his cousin and his friend, came over to them. "O-Ok." She sat up and took a few deep breaths. "I can stop now."

"What can you stop now?" Dom asked, curious to know why the two were sitting on the ground in the first place. In answer the Lady Knight burst into laughter again and fell back on the ground.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gayle was sitting on a window ledge, staring outside. She hugged her knees to her chest as she watched rain pour down. This was one of her favorite kind of days. At home, when her parents were alive, her mother and father would start playing games with her. Sometimes-real ones, like Monopoly, or Scrabble. Sometimes they weren't even real ones, just games they'd made off the top of their heads. She'd always loved those days.

She began to fiddle with the ring on her necklace. For the past few weeks she'd been avoiding Neal, not wanting to have to go back to the infirmary.

When asked by the officers, she'd explained her terrible shooting. Of course, not with the real story. Instead, she'd told them she'd felt nervous about being so much better than the others, and so had pretended to be bad. They'd accepted the story, after telling her that it would have helped her in the long run if she hadn't done that.

Today the trainers had told the trainees that they could have the day off, since it was raining so hard. But so far all she'd done was sit here and watch the rain, which she was entirely content to keep doing.

She leaned against the glass and sighed in pleasure at the cool feeling of it against her skin. Suddenly she shook her head. She should do something with her day besides watching the rain, however tempting the thought was.

She stood up and stretched, cat-like. Maybe she could snitch a sword and practice. She missed them a lot. It was strange not having one in her hand, or nearby.

At least she was near where they were kept. They weren't meant for the use of people other than pages and squires… But nobody had to know what she was up to, right?

She made her way to the main door, where she stopped, staring out at the rain. Taking a deep breath, she ran for the palace.

Minutes later, she burst through the doors and stopped, shivering. She looked at her arm and sighed. She'd done it again. "Why didn't I just grab a cloak, or something?" She asked out loud. After a second of pondering, she answered herself, "Because I don't think." She closed her eyes, shaking her head. She might get sick again, which would make her have to go to the infirmary…

She opened her eyes and gaped at herself. She was dry. Totally, completely dry. "Holy…" She checked everything. Not one bit of her was wet. She shook her head. She was imagining this. Yes, she was imagining this.

This decided, she set off for the practice rooms. Before she got very far, though, she saw a rather… interesting sight. A group of men was standing outside a doorway, giggling like little schoolgirls.

She approached them quietly, making no noise at all. When she was close enough, she recognized the men there. They were the men under Sergeant Dom's command. Looking around, she spotted Dom as well. He was smiling evilly. 'That's kind of creepy…' She watched him uneasily. She knew that the door they were standing at was the entrance to Lord Raoul's rooms.

Suddenly, she got a sinister thought. Smirking, she came up behind them and, imitating Lord Raoul's voice, shouted, "And what do we have here, boys?" They all jumped and spun around. For a moment they looked confused, not seeing Raoul, but then they saw Gayle. They all blinked simultaneously. "Oh," She cooed. "That's so adorable." They made faces at her. She grinned again.

"What _are_ you doing, anyway?" She asked as she came up to them. Dom grinned as he answered. "We're setting up a prank for milord." Intrigued, she continued to question them. "Oh? What's this prank?" He gestured upwards. She looked up. A bucket attached to a string was balanced precariously on the half open door.

"Hmm." She watched it thoughtfully. "What's in it?"

"Molasses." That was Wolset, the small one.

"I see." She said. After a moment, she added. "You're going about it all wrong." They looked at her skeptically. "Why do you say that?" One asked.

"Well, the string, for one thing. It's entirely unnecessary. It can balance without it. You should have someone stand in his rooms. Someone gives him a signal that it's Raoul, and when he's next to the door, they pull it, hard and fast."

"But that means whoever's in there has to deal with him." Someone protested. "Honestly." She shook her head, amused. "I thought you boys would be able to figure this out on your own. Ever heard of an exit by the window?" They began to look excited. "And another thing." She started. "You need something more. I have to say, molasses is a good idea. Extremely sticky and hard to get out of clothes. But there's something missing."

"Like what?" Another asked.

She pursed her mouth and tilted her head. After a second she grinned. "Sugar baiting, is what I suggest." They all blinked. "Flies, lads, flies. They are attracted to sugar, are they not?" For a moment they looked confused, then comprehension dawned on them.

"Gayle?" Dom inquired.

"Yes?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a devious little monster?"

"Domitan," She mock cried. "How could you say that?" She collapsed on the ground in fake tears. "No longer shall I help you!" She suddenly declared and stood up. "I'm going to," She paused for dramatic effect. All the men looked amused. "What?" One questioned.

She grinned evilly and whispered threateningly, "Tell Raoul." They all paled visibly. "You wouldn't." Dom stated, though a little uncertainly.

"Who wouldn't what?" A voice asked. They all turned around. Kel stood there, looking at them amusedly.

"Uh, nothing." The Lady Knight raised an eyebrow. Gayle used this opportunity to slip away unnoticed.

All of the squad members were offering answers to her questions. "Uh-huh." She said, unconvinced.

Gayle had reached the end of the hall by this point. She gave them a last glance before disappearing around the corner.

"You're planning another prank, aren't you?" Kel said this as more of a statement than a question. "Of course not." Dom told her. She raised her eyebrows. "I'm hurt. You don't believe me." He put a hand to his heart, striking a player's pose.

Suddenly one of the men spoke up. "Hey," He said, looking around. "Where's Gayle?" They all stopped and turned around. She'd gotten away.

"Uh-oh." Wolset muttered. "That's not good." They all looked at each other and nodded. "AFTER HER!" Dom shouted and took off down the hall. All the men followed him. Kel looked after them with a bemused expression. Then she shook her head and headed back to her rooms.

Gayle was walking at a leisurely pace towards the weapons' shed. She might actually tell Raoul about the prank. How'd he react? She wondered.

Out of nowhere came the voices of men and the pounding of feet. She turned around and saw a group of men come around the corner. Uh-oh. It seemed that Dom and his squad were taking her words to heart.

She quickly turned around again and took off. Hearing the men start shouting mock-threats, she started to laugh. "Help me!" She screeched. "Somebody, help me!"

They passed several people in the halls, servants, knights, squires. Everyone looked after them as they passed by. She would wave to them cheerily as she ran past.

She turned around yet another corner and saw somebody come out of one of the doors. They turned around and she recognized him as Numair. "What in the name of Mithros…?" He said aloud. "Get out of the way if you want to live!" She yelled. He jumped to the side just in time. She dashed by him, closely followed by the men.

"Oh, yes." She muttered. "I just had to go and get one of the squads in the Third Company to chase me. Smart, no?"

She glanced to the side and saw the entrance to the mess hall for knights. She hurriedly changed her direction and ran into the hall. Looking around, she saw nobody had noticed her yet.

Suddenly she heard men's voices as they drew closer. She looked around and spotted a good place to hide. Between the serving counter and a row of crates was a small space, just big enough for a seventeen year old to hide in, but no bigger. She slid into it and crouched down.

No sooner had she done this then she heard Dom's voice cheerfully greeting someone at a table near the door. She grinned slightly as she heard his flirting tone. Obviously there were others bedsides the knights, or Kel was there. Unless… Her eyes went wide. No. Oh, dear Goddess, she hoped not. That would be rather awkward for Kel. Then, remembering the looks on the Sergeant and Lady Knight's faces as they looked at each other, shook her head. No, he was too smitten with her to do that.

Suddenly it struck her that she hadn't used God when she thought that. She'd used the term that everyone else in Tortall would have used. Goddess.

_**What does that mean?**_

… _I'm not sure. _

_**Maybe… You're adapting to living here in Tortall.**_

_I… I guess am._

_**Are you okay with that?**_

She blinked. Was she?

_Yes. Yes, I am._

_**What about home?**_

_Home?_

_**Yes, the place where you lived for seventeen years?**_

_What about it?_

_**Do you ever plan to go back? **_

_I…_

Did she ever plan on going back? Did she?

_I…_

_**Yes?**_

_I don't know._

Ahh. There was the miserable truth.

_**Do you want to find your parents' murderer?**_

She put her head in her hands.

_I just don't know anymore. _She thought miserably. _It's so complicated._

_**How?**_

_Do you really have to ask me these questions?_ She demanded angrily.

_**Yes. **_

_Why?_

_**I'm your conscience, aren't I? I'm here to make sure you don't do anything idiotic. It's my job.**_

She smiled slightly. It made sense, in a twisted way.

_Always on my back. I suppose that's another job as well?_ She asked dryly.

_**Of course. **_

_All right._ She sighed. _Ask away._

_**Right. Now, then-**_

She suddenly snapped to attention. The footsteps had drawn closer. _I'll have to be introspective later. _She smiled wryly. Maybe that was for the best.

She saw a pair of feet come and stop. Uh-oh. That probably didn't mean anything good. She watched them uneasily. They dropped down on one knee and peered in. Gayle was surprised to see it wasn't one of the squad members, but Neal.

"What're you doing in there?" He asked. "Hiding." She cheerfully responded. "Because…?" He waited for an answer.

"I'm being chased by agitated chipmunks. I took some of their nuts. They didn't take it too well, and they soon retaliated by stealing my best pair of boots. I still wonder how they managed to do it… Anyway, I couldn't very well just leave it there, so I responded likewise. It's been an ongoing battle for a while now. But I really think they're overreacting. It's just a couple nuts. I think poisoning my morning cheese is a bit extreme, don't you?"

He just stared at her for a few minutes. Then he got up and walked back to his table, muttering something that sounded like, "Lunatic." A few minutes later somebody else appeared where the healer had been and bent down.

"Hallo there, Blossom." She flashed him a grin as he made a face. "Yes, hello to you as well. Might I inquire as to why you're sitting in this dark and dismal excuse for a crack?" She gasped in indignation. "How can you say that? And in front of Howard, too." His dark eyes were confused. It was really cute and endearing. "Huh?"

She made a noise of annoyance. "Howard. This is his home. He's a goblin, you know. And to answer your question, yes." He lifted an eyebrow. "That's not an answer."

"Yes, it is. You said, quote, "Might I inquire as to why you're sitting in this dark and dismal excuse for a crack?" End quote. That means that you're asking if it's all right to ask the question, and that's how I answered."

He rolled his eyes. "All right. Why are you sitting in this dark and dismal excuse for a crack?" She looked at him, surprised. "Didn't Sir Neal tell you?" He nodded. "Yes, he did. But I really doubt that squirrels are chasing you. They gave up on it a few years ago. So why are you sitting here?" She tilted her head thoughtfully. "Ahh, you caught me. I'll tell you. It's Howard. He's having a tea party. I told that story to Sir Neal because Howard doesn't like people knowing where he lives." She leaned in conspiratorially. "I think it's because he's shy. Isn't that just so sweet?"

He set his elbow on his leg and rested his head there. "Oh, delightfully so. Once again, tell me the real reason." She waved a hand. "Oh, fine. Take the fun out of everything, why don't you? I'm here hiding from Dom and his squad. They're chasing me." She started. "They aren't still here, are they?" He shook his head. "Good. That means…" She stared at him a moment, then leaned back. "Liar. They're still here." He put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt that you don't take my word for it."

"That's a real shame. Now, where are they?" Sighing, he gestured behind him. "At the table, waiting for your reappearance." She crossed her arms. "Why didn't they just come down here… No, wait, never mind. I know." She drummed her fingers on her arms for a moment. "Hey, where's Lord Raoul?" Kaelin looked at her oddly. "Why?" She made a face. "Because I need to talk to him. Where's he?"

He shook his head. "No, not 'til you tell me what you need to talk to him about." She stared at him. "You're annoying, you know that?" He opened his mouth to respond. "You're not supposed to answer that. It's a rhetorical question. Anyway," She got onto her feet, still crouching. "I have to do something."

And with that, she barreled past him and towards the door of the mess hall. "There she is!" She heard a scrambling of feet. "No!" She shouted. "You'll never take me alive!"

She ran out the door. She changed directions at the last second, heading down the hall towards the doors leading to the main entrance. "You know," She yelled at them conversationally. "You left the bucket there unguarded. What if Lord Raoul comes and finds it? What'll you do then?" Dom shouted back in response. "We'll tell him it's a gift from you!"

She came to a pair of doors and stopped. She threw them open and ran out. It wasn't until she was out in the middle of the courtyard that she realized it was raining. Not that it bothered her. She started laughing and twirled around, extremely happy.

"Oy, you there!" She turned around. A figure on a horse approached. "Can you fetch someone to take my horse to the stables?" They asked tiredly. "I need to talk to the King." Tilting her head, she stared for a moment. Then her mouth dropped open as she met the rider's eyes. Dumbly, she nodded and led them to a warm overhanging, to stay out of the rain.

She ran, getting someone to bring their horse in. She didn't return with the hostler to bring the horse in. She was too startled by the violet eyes that had belonged to the rider. She was too busy remembering the owner of those eyes and the last time she'd seen them, on Balor's Needle so many weeks ago.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

I'm afraid I have the most dreadful news. This story is to be discontinued. I'm terribly sorry. Farewell, and good luck to you all.

_(Disappears into shadows for a moment, then comes back, laughing)_ He he. No worries. I'm not actually discontinuing the story. I just was bored. Anyway, you know what to do. Review and tell me what you think. Until next time… Cheerio!

Eveiveneg


	13. Prophecy

**Me**: _(Sitting quietly with a laptop. Types quickly, pausing every few seconds to glance around uneasily. Looks up and sees readers)_ Hullo there. I'm just sitting here for now. Hopefully no crazy stuff for now. I'm really tired and I just want to sit here. Any more running around will cause me to collapse.

**SD**: _(Groans)_

**Me**: _(Turns around to watch him)_ Ahh. Sleeping Beauty has awoken

**SD**: Shut up. _(Holds head)_

**Me**: Well, you deserve it. You are the one who guzzled down all my vodka. Man, it took me forever to sneak that out of the Bush's stash! You know, for a political joke he sure does have some good taste in alcohol.

**SD**: _(Stares)_ What? Ow._ (Moans and clutches head again_) My head.

**Me**: _(Moans in high-pitched voice and grabs head)_ My head. My poor wittwe head pounds so much.

**SD**: Go to hell.

**Me**: Go to heww.

**SD**:_ (Shouts)_ SHUT UP!

**Me**: _(Smacks him in the head)_ Shut up you idiot! The monkeys are around. I heard them come a while ago. Cookie went to scout, but if you keep screaming she'll get caught.

**SD**: _(Mutters)_

**Me**: _(Hisses)_ What did you say?

**SD**: Nothing.

**Me**: _(Narrows eyes)_ Fine. _(Turns back to computer)_ Shush.

**SD**: _(Sulks)_

**Me**: _(Starts muttering to self)_ Stupid Bush. I'll show you how to trigger an a-bomb. _(Presses button)_ He he.

**SD**: _(Scoots away)_ Err, while Eveiveneg occupies herself with who knows what-

**Me**: _(Cackles maliciously)_

**SD**: None of the Tamora Pierce books belong to her. Just Tamora Pierce. Obviously. I mean, it's in the nam-

**Me**: _(Stands up and whistles. Llama gallops over and she jumps up onto it)_ See ya later. _(Blows sharp note and llama takes off)_

**SD**: _(Runs after her)_ WAIT!

**Possums**: _(Chase)_

**Prophecy** _by Eveiveneg_

_She was in a place of darkness, the place she'd never thought she'd see again after Percy had found her. She listened for something, anything, but there was nothing. Not even, she realized with shock, her own breathing. Frantically she tried to touch her throat, but was unable to. _

_Voices started speaking to her, but she understood nothing. Then warmth hit her. It spread through her body, melting the icy coldness away from her limbs. Her back arched in pleasure. She slowly moved her fingers, then shook her legs and smiled. She could move again._

_She felt something tug on her hand and turned to see a figure there, waiting for her patiently. "Come on." They whispered. "We have to go." She nodded and let them pull her after them. She watched them. They seemed to be made of light, too bright for her to properly see what they looked like. Was it even a person? She wondered. _

_Suddenly, she could see a prick of light in the distance. As they came closer to it and everything grew brighter, her companion started to fade. "Wait," She called out faintly. "Don't leave me…" _

_They glanced over at her, and smiled. "I won't ever." They promised. "I swear it." And with that, they shoved her into the golden glow. _

_It was hot, so unbearably hot that she wanted to scream. It her skin was on fire, her heart ready to burst from the sheer pain. Then she was through. _

_Opening her eyes, she could make out the shape of some large figure above her. It was bent over, shaking. At first she thought it was a seizure, then realized that they were crying silently, clutching her hand as they did so. _

_Her vision became clearer and she could see what it was. A man, beaten and exhausted, was sitting there, eyes closed and tears streaming down his face. But why? She wondered. What was he crying for? _

_"Please don't leave me, Gayle." He begged softly. "I don't know what I'll do without you." Smiling blearily, she squeezed his hand slightly. " Can this be true?" She asked hoarsely. "You, crying? I never thought I'd see the day." He started and looked down at her. She tried to identify him, but she couldn't make out his face. _

_"Y-You're alive." He said huskily. "You're actually alive." She looked at him with a bemused expression._

"_Of course. How could I ever be otherwise?" Then, playfully, she let a small, sly grin curve her mouth. "What, you thought I had gone up to the Black God?" He nodded his head, dumbstruck. "Nah," She shrugged. "Too early for me." She let out a small, painful laugh. "What, you thought I'd leave my beloved behind?"_

_"And who's that?" He asked, his hand holding hers so tightly it was almost painful. For some reason, she felt her heart speed up. Leaning her head up close to his, she spoke one word to him, "You." Then she pressed her lips against his. _

Gayle sat up, breathing hard. Her pulse was thumping at an unsteady rate. What had that been? It had that taste to it that those visions had had. Like sharp and clear. Did that mean it would come true? Or that it was happening at this moment? Or had already come to pass?

She shook her head. She would get no answers simply wondering about them. Perhaps it was time to talk to Numair again. She hadn't spoken to him since the argument. That was, gods, two months ago at least. These dreams, they came often now, at least once a night. Sometimes they happened, sometimes they didn't.

And other things had happened as well. Strange occurrences, happening only around her. Once, a week or two ago, she'd been sitting against a tree, rather bored and wishing her friend Mya would come around. Five minutes later her dark-skinned friend had come running up to her, saying she'd suddenly gotten in the mood to chat. It was as though someone had persuaded her to come.

White flames had appeared in the corner of her eyes as well, always just when she was thinking really hard about something in particular that she wanted to happen, and then it would happen. And of course there was yesterday, when she'd run out in the rain and instantly dried off when she had desired to be so. Maybe this was the, what did they call it? The flame? Fire? No, wait, the Gift. Yes, that was it. But didn't people usually show signs of it early on in life? She hadn't ever caused these kinds of things to happen before, not that she remembered, anyway.

She shook her head. She'd question Numair about it later. Right now, she wanted to outside and practice archery. She stood up and changed, then quickly strode out of the barracks. About an hour or two later she was swinging a long stick around, bringing it up in a crescent then down in another one. Then she stopped. Wasn't it right about now that Sarge usually woke the trainees up? She looked over at the barracks. She didn't see anyone stirring. She frowned and thought for a reason why this would be. After a second it hit her. "Crap!"

She started running back towards the building, tossing the branch behind her. They were leaving today for the summer training camp. She'd forgotten about it entirely. She had been supposed to have packed yesterday, but what with being chased by Dom and the unexpected arrival of Alanna the Lioness, it had been shoved from her mind.

"Oh there once was a crap for brains girl who forgot to pack. Her crappy memory had been the cause of many crappy misfortunes before. Coincidentally, the thing she forgot to get ready for was the probably single most important event of her crappy life. Isn't that just great?" She muttered.

"I was once told the story of the psychopathic chipmunk chaser who tried to fit in with a bunch of strange knightly dudes." She went on as she entered the barracks. "It worked for a while, but a terrible thing happened to the psychopathic chipmunk chaser."

She jogged up the stairs to the room she shared with the other female trainees. "One day, she was eating cheese while she was SUPPOSED to be getting ready for an extremely important trip." She dashed into the large dorm, looking around frantically

"She went for a walk and was attacked by greedy, evil dwarves who resembled provolone. They viscously mauled her with their sharp, pointy knives that burned with a thousand evils that they had stolen from scary, ghost-like Ring Wraiths, screaming that she was the Dark Lord of Mordor come to kill them all with her shiny little ring. While doing so, she was knocked off a tall, scary cliff and died. The end."

She halted and looked under her bed. There was her bag, full and ready to go. She smacked her head. "Idiot." She hissed. "You forgot something all right, but it was the fact you'd already packed!" Sighing, she trotted back outside, slugging her pack over her shoulder.

Then she was reminded of something else as well. She needed to talk to Numair, but she was leaving that day for about three months. She had two choices: One, she could run around to find out where he stayed in the palace, if he was even there, see if he was awake, and if he was, coax him into talking about it. Two, she could wait until after she got back from the excursion. By that time, though, he might have totally forgotten about her, and it would be even more difficult to speak with him. But if she went to look for him now, the trainees might leave without her.

Ugh.

She stopped for a second, turning to the palace. It really was an exquisite building. The towers and turrets rose high above the ground, making it impossibly large. Watching it, something triggered in her memory. Furrowing her brow, she tried to figure out what it was. Her vision started to waver, and the palace's shape began to bend. It was impossible to tell what it was becoming, at the moment. One of the smaller towers twisted around entirely. She gazed at it, fascinated and repulsed. Something inside her began to grow. It was like a flame, burning larger and larger until she thought she was going to set on fire. Her hands balled into fists and her eyes went blank.

That was about when it hit her. Quite literally. She stumbled back and looked around bewilderedly. A bird was fluttering around her head frantically, often coming close to her and beating its wings in her face. "Oy!" She cried, covering her face. "Quit it!" It came to a halt and just hovered there in front of her, apparently considering her. She glared at the sparrow. It simply cheeped at her and flew off.

"Stupid bird." She muttered. "Why did it do that? It could have just passed by, perhaps glancing at me, then continuing on its way. But no-ooo. It had to come and run into my head and nearly give me a friggin' concussion. Then it went and wave its feathers in front of me in hopes of making me go blind." She put her hand on her head. No blood, just ached a bit when it was touched.

"BUT IT DIDN'T WORK, DID IT!" She shouted at the long gone bird. "HA! I AM SO LAUGHING ON YOUR ACCOUNT RIGHT NOW, BUDDY! I LAUGH AND LAUGH AND LAUGH! YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE IT'S JUST SO FUNNY! YOU KNOW WHY IT'S FUNNY? CUZ NOW, ALTHOUGH I DON'T HATE THEM, BIRDS ARE NOW OUT OF MY FAVOR! MAYBE I'LL COME ALONG SOME POOR DEFENSELESS BIRD, LYING ON THE GROUND AND DYING, BUT I WON'T HELP IT, CUZ YOU RAN INTO MY HEAD! BUT THAT'S NOT MY PROBLEM, IS IT? NO! IT'S YOURS, AND IT'LL BE YOUR FAULT IF THE LITTLE IMAGINARY BIRD DIES! SO TAKE THAT, YOU DUMB SPARROW!"

She stomped off towards the stables. She related the entire story to Anya and Jester, who had stalls next to each other. "And it really hurt, you know? Not just physically, but emotionally too. The only reason it'd even fly into me would be because it dislikes me, and that just isn't cool, man." She paused. "But you have to wonder how it got such good aim. Seriously. Where does a bird learn to be so good at hitting things?" The gelding was snorting, a horse's way of laughing. "Yeah, yeah, guffaw away on my account." She told him. "It's not me who'll have a stomach ache later on from giggling too much."

"I supposed you'd know best, then?"

She turned around and frowned. No one was there. Then she looked up. A plump, red face looked down at her. "You bet I would." She replied. Tilting her head, she asked, "You're Stefan, right?" He nodded.

"Aye. That be me name." She smiled. "Did you notice that rhymed? Fascinating, huh?" He watched her for a moment before answering.

"No, I hadn't."

She grinned and leaned against the wall of the stall. "You learn something new everyday." He nodded slightly, still observing her. She returned his gaze levelly. Finally he spoke again.

"Jester told me about you." She blinked. She'd forgotten that the head hostler had wild magic.

"Did he? What'd he say?" She was really curious.

"That you're a good mistress. Never leavin' 'em uncared for, takin' 'em out for exercise when it's needed. Feedin' 'em the right stuff." She began to unconsciously chew the inside of her cheek.

"What about Anya?" She questioned. "What does she say?"

His face went grim. "She doesn't talk. It's not cuz she can't, that much I know. Jester says that she don't talk to humans. Just a few horses. Don't like people much, but 'e doesn't know why."

Gayle glanced over at the black mare. She contentedly stood there, looking at Jester every once in a while. Didn't talk to others besides Jester? What about her? Did the mare only come over to her because of Jester? Or was it something else?

No, she thought. Anya wouldn't come over to anyone she didn't trust. She wouldn't just let Gayle ride her if she didn't like.

She opened her mouth to say something when she heard Sarge's shout. "TRAINEES, UP AND AT 'EM!" Wincing, she picked up the two horses' reins and led them over to the stable door.

"It was nice talking to you, Stefan." She called back as she left.

About two hours later all of the trainees were lined up and ready to go. She sat on the back of Jester, looking around at all of the others. Mya came up next to her as she watched one of the young men get whacked in the head by one of his friends.

"I pity him." The dark-eyed girl looked over to where she was pointing.

"Ouch." She winced as he almost fell out of the saddle. "So do I. Gina's got a pretty strong hit." They both grimaced as she laid another loud, resounding smack on him.

"So," Her friend began again. "You lookin' forward to the trip?" She grinned.

"I should be asking that of you. Adish keeps glancing over at you with admiration in his eyes." She winked at the blushing girl.

"It's not like that." The young woman protested. "He told me yesterday. He was just impressed by my Shang fighting techniques."

"And your lovely complexion and body." She added. Mya flushed a dark red. She smiled wickedly. She heard talk lessen and turned around in time to see Queen Thayet lifting up her sword in a salute. "Trainees, move out!" She yelled, her low, clear voice traveling in ripples among the young men and women.

She nudged her gelding into a trot and set off along with the others. She felt hairs rising on the back of her neck and twisted around to get a better view of the palace. A figure stood there on the walls, watching them ride. Their gaze seemed to be fixed directly on her. After staring a moment, she smiled and raised her hand in a salute. Little Sarra Salmalin frantically waved at her in return.

A grin on her face, she went back into her proper position. Maybe she wouldn't be entirely forgotten after all.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Gayle had finally figured it out.

Not the meaning of life, or if there's life on other planets. Nor how life was created, or how to bring the dead back to life. And, unfortunately, not the all-important question: Where _is_ Waldo?

No, she'd finally figured out what it was that everyone was excited about. And it was probably the dumbest thing she'd seen in the world. A carnival was visiting Fief Dunlath, where the summer camp was being held that year. She couldn't believe it. Why was everyone going mad about a few little entertainers? What was so special about them?

These were the thoughts running through her head as she laid eyes on it for the first time. It was just getting started, apparently. She hadn't been able to understand what was going on ever since the morning before. Nobody would tell her, thinking it was the funniest thing in the world that she didn't know what they were talking about. But she'd learned from years of watching others that if you simply ignored people, they would just burst forth with a flood of information. So that was what she'd done. And that was exactly what had happened. Mya hadn't been able to keep it a secret for long when Gayle had simply nodded uninterestedly when she spoke of the "great surprise outside". When she'd been told, she'd looked at the dark girl with a strange expression. After a long time of staring, she left to go see the place from above.

She was currently standing on the wall of the Dunlath's castle in the village, gazing down at the folk who'd set it up as they struggled with a particularly heavy stake to hold up a tent. The trainees sure did seem ecstatic about it. Even the officers seemed a little enthusiastic. They'd given them all the night off to enjoy themselves.

She'd figured out what was happening; She didn't understand why in the name of the gods it was so exciting. It was just tents and flashy clothes and fake jewels. She just didn't get it. Was it a Tortallan thing? Or had people on Earth also looked on it as a night of fun? Thinking back, she remembered the faces of children about to go out for an evening of fun at a fair, or carnival, or anything of the sort. Expressions of anticipation; Looks of excitement: barely contained, absolute _joy_ in every twinkling pair of eyes.

_Why?_

She didn't move from her spot for a long time. Everything was put together and the sky began to get darker. She just tilted her head in thought. People flooded out of the houses of the town, eager to watch and laugh at the different things that happened. She didn't even twitch. The guards began to glance at her nervously from their posts. She didn't notice. Her eyes were focused on the crowd below. It wasn't until the moon was almost overhead that something happened.

"What are you doing?"

Gayle snapped out of her reverie and turned to see who had spoken. A woman of average height stood there, looking at her with curious brown eyes.

"Lady Maura." She bowed respectfully to her. "It's nice to see you."

The lady of Dunlath smiled. The twenty-five year old woman hadn't been there to greet the group when they'd arrived almost a month ago. It hadn't been until about five days later that she'd even caught sight of her. She was pretty, though not in a conventional way. Her long chestnut hair shone brightly in any light and her chocolate colored eyes held great wisdom.

Apparently she'd been out helping the commoners with the planting. She was an odd woman, at least according to the court gossipers. She loved to walk amongst the people of her fief, doing chores with them and so on. She was closer to them than she was to most nobles. She knew all of them by first name and had never in her entire time of managing the estates mistreated them in anyway. There were many things that they refused to allow her to do, of course, but more often than not she was out with them in the fields.

When she finally did talk to the lady, it was just a quick chat. A few days later they spoke again, this time for an hour. Gayle had decided she liked the woman on first glance, and they became fast friends. Though it wasn't often they had conversations, they were always enjoyable when they did happen.

She came up next to the redhead and leaned against the wall companionably. "So," She started. "What are you doing up here on a night like this?"

Gayle looked back down at the giant swarm below. "Watching."

"Watching what?"

She pointed downwards. "The carnival."

The young woman stared at her. "Because…?"

She shrugged. "I want to know why everyone's so excited."

Maura looked surprised. "You want to know why? It's because it's a break from the ordinary. Something different than our everyday lives. There's always something fun at a fair for everyone." She looked at her with uncertain eyes. "Haven't you ever been to one?"

She shook her head. "No. My family never really had time for those kinds of things."

The woman looked sad. "I'm sorry. They're really quite fun."

She shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I don't understand what I'm missing out on, so it's not that big a deal to me."

She returned to gazing at the people. Suddenly Lady Maura spoke up again.

"Well then, we're going to have to change that."

She looked over at her sharply. "What?"

"You're coming with me to the fair." She grabbed the trainee's hand and proceeded pulling her towards the door.

She was confused. "I am?"

Maura didn't even bother turning around as she confirmed this. Gayle didn't stop her from doing this, just blinked bemusedly as she was dragged through the halls and out the doors.

The bright lights and loud noises didn't serve to bring her out of her stupor. If anything, she was thrown even more off balance. The lady held pretty much carried her through the 'streets' of the carnival. She, still unsure of herself, held onto the older woman's hand for dear life. About two and a half hours later they were standing a little off the path, eating candied apples. Well, Maura was. The young Rider-in-training simply stood there, watching the treat uncertainly. She'd never had one before, and she wasn't sure she wanted it. After a minute or two, the twenty-five year old flung her stick to the side and latched onto her hand again.

"Come on, let's go see the fortune teller." She nodded. She'd regained her sense of direction after the first half hour or so. It didn't help that her friend was racing about the carnival in completely random zigzags, but she managed.

The two arrived at the tent breathless; Maura from excitement, Gayle from having to run to keep up with the older woman. They entered just as a couple came out. Glancing at them, she could see they looked ecstatic. She wondered why.

Once inside, she looked around. It was dark and mysterious, with a few candles surrounding the seated figure. They were shrouded in robes, which, she thought personally, wasn't too smart, considering there were little balls of fire sitting just inches away from them. But to each their own.

"Welcome." They said in a low and rough voice. Glancing up, they added, "Only one at a time." The two looked at each other. Gayle shrugged.

"I'll go outside. You have your fun."

She went out and sat down. She stared directly ahead, bored out of her mind. For a few long minutes she had nothing to do except wait. What exactly was so great about this? She wondered. Just look at the person and make up a prediction, right? Then why was it taking so gods damn long? It was at that moment that Maura came out, cheeks flushed with happiness.

"Oh… That was lovely." She said with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Oh, yes it was." Gayle agreed. "Full of excitement, that wait was. Why, that snail over there moved _three full millimeters_ to the left. So filled with drama."

The older woman didn't seem to notice her sarcasm. "Go on," She encouraged. "Your turn." Rolling her eyes, the young woman got up and went back in.

"Sit." The voice said. She did so. "Now," They began. "What would you like me to do? Water bowl or palm read?" She tilted her head thoughtfully.

"Now, which one am I less likely to understand? Oh, no, wait, am I even going to understand it at all, no matter which I choose? Cuz I really hate mysteries and riddles and stuff. No fun at all. You actually have to think about it, and, to be perfectly honest, that's just not something I'm good at."

The hooded figure gazed at her a moment before speaking. "Water bowl it is."

"Oh, so am I just supposed to sit here while you read off whatever's supposed to happen to me, or do I have to do something? Can I stand? Oh, how 'bout I do the funky chicken dance?" The person's voice was a bit strained when they answered.

"No, no, just sit there."

"Ok." She said agreeably. The fortuneteller gazed down into the bowl. After a moment she started to sing softly.

"Oh, this is a story 'bout a guy named Al who lived in the sewers with his hamster pal. But the sanitation workers didn't really approve. So he packed up his accordion and had to move to a city in Ohio where he lived in a tree and he worked in nasal decongestant factory. He-"

"Would you please stop it?" They snapped.

"Depends," She told them. "Do I have to leave if I keep doing it?"

"Yes."

"Ok." She sat in silence for a few moments as the person continued watching the water.

Their hood slipped and she could see them. It was a young man, very handsome, with light blue eyes and a finely chiseled face. Sandy brown hair flopped down into his face, causing him to look a bit silly. When Kaelin's hair did that he still managed to look impressive and intriguing. She blinked. Why had she thought of that?

_**Oh, I think you know why.**_

_Why do you keep interrupting my usually normal thought pattern?_

_**Because, I have to get you to answer questions you'd usually ignore. Anyway, you call that normal? You're thinking about Waldo! **_

_What's wrong with Waldo?_

_**For one thing, he's a fictitious character.**_

_Stop using big words!_

_**You know what they mean.**_

_Fine, I do._

_**See, this is what I'm talking about. You pretend to be stupid. I guess it's just the tiniest bit comprehensible when you do it to others, but now you're doing it to you own conscience.**_

_I hate you._

_**Whatever. **_

_Anyway, why did you say that?_

_**Say what?**_

_That thing you said._

_**Oh, that really helps. I know exactly what you're talking about.**_

_You know what I mean!_

_**Do I?**_

_Yes!_

_**Then what is it that you mean?**_

_Why did you say that I knew what it was coming from?_

_**Oh, that. Why didn't you just say that in the first place?**_

_JUST ANSWER ME!_

_**Take it easy there. Don't want a stroke, do you?**_

_ANSWER ME YOU-_

_**Oh, so you don't get angry with your friends, but you lose your temper at something that only exists in your mind?**_

_WHAT WERE YOU TALKING ABOUT?_

_**Sorry, no.**_

_Huh?_

_**If you can't figure it out for yourself, you don't deserve to know.**_

_You little-_

_**You'll figure it out. You're a smart kid, when you want to be.**_

_Just-_

_**No.**_

She groaned inwardly. She was having an argument. With herself.

_**Just deal with it.**_

_Why do I need a conscience?_

_**You have to have a voice of reason. It discerns what is the best thing to do and what isn't. **_

"Milady?"

She started and looked up at the fortuneteller. He was watching her with a curious expression. "Are you all right?"

She sighed. "Yeah, just having a conversation with myself."

He furrowed his brow and nodded uncertainly. "All right, then." He returned to watching the water. After a few minutes she got bored and started to hum, but inside her head this time.

_Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,_

_Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,_

_Brown paper packages tied up with string,_

_These are a few of my favorite things_

_Doo doo doo, doo doo doo_

_Cream colored-_

_**Shut up.**_

_Oh, why?_

_**Because it's annoying.**_

_So are you._

_**Well, I'm annoying because I have to be. You're annoying because you want to be.**_

_So I can't even sing inside my own head?_

_**There you go. I knew you had some brains in there somewhere. **_

_That's not fair…_

_**Deal with it, foxtail.**_

_Foxtail?_

_**Yes, foxtail. You have red hair, do you not?**_

_Yes…_

_**So there you go.**_

_Hmm… I like it! _

_**That's good for you, sweety.**_

Suddenly the young man stiffened. Gayle looked over at him, startled by the sudden movement.

"_Dark magic gathers, threatening the existence of all humans,_

_All will be lost, forever forgotten from the history of mankind._

_But there is one, who will protect us all,_

_Time's child, daughter of the goddess_

_The heart of a warrior and the mind of a wise man_

_She has, and afraid she is not to use them_

_With her White Fire _

_She shall save us all._"

She watched him with a frightened expression. She threw a coin at him and ran out of the tent, his words on her heels.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Oh yeah. Longest chapter yet. Twenty pages on microsoft word. Oh yeah. Uh huh. Do the celebratory dance of victory. Oh, and those songs she sung weren't mine. They belond to Weird Al Yankovich and, err, whoever did the Sound of Music. Ta!

Eveiveneg


	14. Author's Note Rather Important

**Author's Note:**

Okay. I'm going to be perfectly honest here. I'm considering discontinuing this story.

Wait just a second before going into some sort of freak out mode here. I was looking over the story and I'm like, God this sucks. What the hell was I thinking? I don't know. There are so many thing wrong with it, I just want to bash myself in the head after reading only one paragraph.

First off, the plot is going absolutely nowhere. I have done thirteen chapters, and all I've gotten to is this carnival thingy. This is like the first time I've mentioned anything about important parts of the story since the first posting. I know what I want to happen, but I just can't picture myself actually writing it and getting it up.

Second of all, Gayle is a Mary Sue. A very strange one, and not at all blonde in any way, but a Mary Sue all the same. It's definitely not how I wanted her to be, and I'm really disappointed in how she turned out. Her moods are erratic and confusing, and I'm really sick of it. She was originally supposed to be this witty, kind of laid back person, but I totally messed it up. I just couldn't help but make her entirely perfect in every way. It pisses me off to think about how different she was than how I'd pictured her in the first place. I totally ruined her character.

People have mentioned this to me many times, but I didn't really think about it too much. I was just like, Oh, suck it up. She's not that bad. But I can see where they're all coming from. She doesn't make mistakes, she's hilarious and intriguing, and there hasn't been one person who doesn't like her, excepting Gustav. I just can't take anymore of her.

I seriously want to apologize to those I told off, such as TrisakAminawn. I feel so bad about getting all ticked off at you when you're totally right about it. She's too _perfect_. And she has to have some serious psychological issues for anything to make sense.

And the biggest thing of all is the flow of the story itself. I mention things that never happen later on, and you're all, Huh? Example: I say, Oh, nobody loves her in her own world, but everyone in Tortall does. That makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. And that pond thing? I have no idea what I was thinking there. It doesn't even have anything to do with the rest of the story. It was just like her portal or something. I don't know! I think I was suffering from serious head trauma the day I started this story.

Okay, some parts are okay. Really, I kinda liked a couple of the chapters. And I don't mean to offend everybody reading it when saying it sucks, cuz then I'd be insulting your taste in literature. But I hate this thing. I ought to be shot for ever doing this. I dunno what I'll do. I might erase everything that's there now and start over again. Or maybe I'll just revise it a bit. Or I might, as I said earlier, delete it all together.

Yeah, well anyway, I'm done. You can scream at me or whatever, or agree with me. I don't really care. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with this whole thing.

If you're interested in reading something else by me, you can go to if you want. I started a story over there. Same pen name as here. So that's it. Yeah, I guess I'll stop now. Later dudes.

-Eveiveneg


End file.
